Purple Striped Tights
by JustAGirlWithALoveForFiction
Summary: **NEW TITLE** The first time he saw Paige Wilson she was wearing Doc Martins and stripy purple tights. If someone had told him then that she would become his best friend in the whole world, he'd have laughed in their face. But she did. They relied on each other in a world where they had no-one else. This is pre-ZA and leading into the apocalypse. Daryl O/C.
1. Chapter 1

_**Oh My God, I'm awful. I've started like four new stories and then given up on them quickly. I'm so sorry to anyone who took the time to review or follow them. I really appreciate it. This is A Pre-ZA story about Daryl and his best friend. Please enjoy and Review.**_

Daryl Dixon stared round the cafeteria, wondering whether or not to just ditch the rest of the school day. It was all just a waste of time anyway. The room was almost empty. If he was going to go at all he sure as hell wasn't gonna be there on time.

The late bell went and he sighed. The alternative to staying at school for another three hours was going home to the trailer, which wouldn't be too bad except that Merle might be there and he didn't want to spend the afternoon trying to avoid his older brother.

Finally he got up and trudged to his next class, ignoring the filthy look he got from the vice-principal as he strolled through the empty halls.

He strode into Ms Banners Biology class. He ignored her and she him. All the teachers knew from previous experience with Merle not to get involved with the Dixon family and today was no exception.

He sat down at his desk and stared out the window without even bothering to take out his books.

"… also your principal has asked me to tell you that you will be getting a new classmate. She should be here any minute…"

Daryl was only half listening but he was jerked out of his thoughts when the door banged open.

"Ooops, sorry. Hi. I'm Paige. Are you Mrs Banner?" a voice asked.

He glanced up and almost laughed out loud.

She was the most unusual looking girl he'd ever seen. She had short hair which fell into her face. It was dyed a dark red, almost black color. The eye which could be seen past her hair was chocolate brown. She wore shorts over black and purple striped tights with huge black Doc Martins and a leather jacket over a deep purple tank top.

"Um, yes. Everyone this is Paige Wilson. She just transferred here from Ireland. I'm sure you'll all make her feel welcome" Ms Banner said disconcertingly.

The girl grinned completely at ease but he barely noticed. He had just realized that the only free seat in the room was the one beside him: he preferred to sit by himself whenever he could which was usually easy as almost everyone was scared of him.

Ms Banner had obviously noticed this as well.

"Right, well, you should probably sit there beside Mr Dixon" she said, pointing at the empty chair.

He shuffled as far from the edge of the desk as he could and tried to ignore the murmurings of the rest of the class as she sat down next to him.

Ms Banner went on with the lesson and he went back to ignoring her. To his annoyance though, the girl beside him seemed even less inclined to listen than he was.

She had pulled out a bright green notebook and was doodling one corner.

"Alright, now take one worksheet between two and work on it _together_. I'll be around to check your work in a few seconds."

Daryl fully intended to ignore her as they got their assigned work. He turned away from her and sat in silence. But after a few minutes:

"Hey, Mr Dixon, you gonna just sit there? 'Cos I don't have a fuckin' clue how to do any of this shit." Her voice called. He noticed her accent which was one he had never hear before.

He turned around reluctantly and stared at her, trying to get the point across. She obviously didn't get it.

"O-kaaay, creepy silence. That's good too." He still didn't answer.

"At least tell me your first name" she compromised, forgetting the worksheet which was blank except for her name.

After another few seconds of silence she sighed.

"Fine, Boo, don't tell me." This finally stirred something in him and curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Boo?" he asked gruffly.

She grinned smugly.

"I knew it. You _can _talk." She folded her arms, waiting for a reply he refused to give. Eventually she sighed again.

"Boo Radley. You know like in the book?" She raised an eyebrow at his blank expression. She turned and pulled it out of her bag, putting it on the desk between them.

"It's the one we're supposed to be doing in our English class. You know, Boo Radley is this creepy guy who stays in his house all the time and all the kids are scared of him and think he's a psychopath but he turns out to be the good guy in the end?"

He vaguely recognised the black cover, though he had never really paid much attention to what the book was actually _about_.

She looked like she wanted to say something else but Ms Banner called for attention again and she turned to face the front reluctantly.

He struggled with himself all through the rest of the class.

Eventually the bell rang. As she was about to leave, he made a decision.

"Daryl" he blurted out.

She turned back to him.

"What?" she asked confusedly.

"Ma' name's Daryl" he said.

She grinned.

"Hey Daryl" she said and then she shook her head. "Nope, not gonna work."

"What?" he asked.

She glanced back as she walked away,

"I prefer Boo."

_**Right. So I wanted to write a story with an Irish OC, because I am Irish. I want Paige to be quite unusual because I think she would have to be to make Daryl want to get to know her. The name, Paige was suggested in a review by LeaDenise for one of my other stories and it stuck in my mind. So, thanks! Hope you enjoyed!**_

_**JAGWALFF**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_HI! Just wanted to say thanks to LeaDenise (an old friend) and DesDesxoxo, a new one. Also to NL March, thanks for the review, glad you're enjoying the story so far and hope you continue to! Sorry for the title change, I just thought it suited the story better. _**

**_Please Enjoy and Review!_**

The next day Daryl ran into Merle as he was leaving the trailer. He was sitting on the sofa drinking a beer and smoking even though it was barely eight O Clock.

"Hey baby brother" he slurred, showing he'd obviously had more than one.

"You drinkin' already?" Daryl asked. He wouldn't have dared say it to him if he was sober.

"Jus' got in. Rough night las' night."

Daryl made to leave the trailer.

"Hey, where you goin' Darylina? You got some girlfriend I don' know 'bout?" Merle smirked. Daryl ignored him and kept walking. It was a mistake.

In one quick movement Merle had heaved himself to his feet and grabbed his brother by the front of the shirt.

"I'm talkin' to you, boy" Merle growled. Daryl tried not to look at him and after a few seconds Merle pushed him away. Daryl hesitated before he ran out the door.

He slowed down as soon as he'd left the trailer. He wasn't really bothered about getting to school on time but he found himself moving in that direction anyway.

He got to the gates just as the bell for class went. He thought about another day of the place and found himself walking straight past the entrance.

He cut through a couple of yards until he was walking through the woods near his home. He knew them like the back of his hand. After around fifteen minutes he came to a stream and sat down, leaning against a tree. He put his head in his hands.

"Something on your mind, Boo?"

He whirled around so fast he hit his head on a low-hanging branch.

He heard laughter through his cursing and looked up. As the stars faded, he saw Paige sitting in a tree branch, reading with her legs crossed.

"What are you doin' here?" he asked incredulously. Hardly anyone came this far into the woods, apart from him and Merle and a couple of hunters.

She snorted. "Well, I'd have thought that would be kinda' self-explanatory" she said, raising her book. He looked at the cover.

"What's that?" he asked, squinting up at her.

"Well, honey, this is what people call a _book._" She laughed at the glare he shot her. "Sorry. No, it's one of my favorites. It's about zombies."

It was his turn to snort. She laughed again.

"You just gonna stand there all day?" She swung her legs down and patted the branch beside her. He looked at her for a second before shrugging and pulling himself up into the tree.

He looked at her properly and rolled his eyes. She wore a pair of short denim dungarees with the same purple striped tights and Doc Martins underneath. A straw hat sat precariously on her head with her red hair sticking out from underneath it.

"So, skipping school, huh? Per-etty badass" she said.

He smirked and she grinned back.

"What about you though? I'd have thought you'd be one of those, always perfect goody-two-shoes" he said, eying her clothes again. She laughed.

"Seriously though. Does everybody in Ireland dress like that or just you?" he asked.

"God no. I'm just odd. Or so people tell me" she smiled, swinging her legs.

"Yeah, you're definitely odd. But I still didn't have you pegged as a ditching class kinda girl" he said. She looked away and he worried he'd upset her but when she turned back she smiled again.

"Guess I'm just a bad-ass too, huh?"

"Yeah right" he snorted. He spotted the book again and snatched it from her, flicking through it. "So, Zombies huh? You into all that shit?" he asked.

"Hey" she said mock-angrily. He knew she wasn't serious because of the huge grin on her face. "It's not shit. When the apocalypse comes, I'm gonna be ready for the bitches."

He laughed again. He had never talked this much in his life but he didn't feel self-conscious or stupid. They talked all afternoon and he was surprised at how easy it was. What was more surprising was that she wanted to talk to him. He kept expecting her to get bored or tell him to leave her alone but she didn't. She talked and laughed with him until late afternoon when she glanced down at her watch and groaned.

"Shit" she said, jumping down from the tree.

"What is it?" he asked following suit.

"I gotta get back before my mum notices I ditched school. She'll go mental if she finds out."

Despite her worried face, Daryl couldn't help but laugh.

"What's funny?" she asked as they walked through the trees together.

"Your accent. "_She'll go mental if she finds out" _he mimicked.

"Yeah and what about you? _So, Zombies, huh? You into all that shit." _

They both laughed.

"That is the best impression you will _ever_ hear of yourself" she promised through fits of laughter.

Too soon, they found themselves on the main road.

"Sooo… you gonna be here tomorrow?" he asked awkwardly.

She pretended to look offended.

"Mr Dixon, are you trying to convince me to skip school. Shame on you. You're a bad influence." She smirked, dropping the act. "Seriously though, if I don't get murdered when I get home, I'm wussy enough to go back to school tomorrow. I can come after though. I'll have to find some sort of excuse for my mum but…" She fluttered her eyelashes. "It'll be worth it."

"Right, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Kay. Well, bye Boo."

"Hey, don't call me th-" But when he turned to glare at her he realized she was gone, running down the street. After a few seconds she was just a purple and red speck in the distance.

**_So, hope you enjoyed. I really want Paige to be AS UNUSUAL AS POSSIBLE so ideas? Leave them in a review or PM me. Nothing is too mental! So… okay. Goodbye and if the zombie apocalypse comes, good luck!_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hi. Thanks to everybody who added me to their favorites or follows list and to anyone that reviewed:_**

**_Bee'sGirl813_**

**_DesDesxoxo_**

**_KittenKandi_**

**_LeaDenise_**

**_breaktheseodds_**

**_cato-lover28_**

**_fanoffanfiction2012_**

**_livingtwodie_**

**_NL March_**

**_Thank you so much for the support. Hope you enjoy!_**

Daryl didn't get up until mid-afternoon the next day. The trailer was empty which meant one of two things. Either Merle had left very early or the much more likely he hadn't come in at all. His father had been on a bender with some waitress all week.

He poured a bowl of cereal and sat on the old couch in front of the TV, chewing. He enjoyed having no one around to tell him what to do. He wasn't looking forward to the day his father came back. He usually hid out in the woods, sleeping there, depending on the old mans mood.

He knew it was stupid to be looking forward to seeing Paige again but he couldn't help himself. He liked talking to her. It was easy. He thought about what Merle would think of that and flinched.

He spent the afternoon watching TV and keeping an eye and an ear out for Merle or his old man. But the day went by peacefully, to his relief. Still, he left the trailer early just in case, walking the familiar path to the woods.

He didn't go directly to the place he'd been yesterday, not wanting to be too early and also not entirely sure she'd even turn up. He started to convince himself she wasn't going to come at all. He imagined her sitting around laughing at him and found himself growing angry. He stomped along the worn trail, grumbling and then veered suddenly off the trail and into the trees. The more he walked, the more wound up he became and when he found that he'd unthinkingly made his way to the stream he felt ready to punch something.

It was as he was clenching his fists, ready to take out his anger on a tree or something that he heard it. Soft music was playing, echoing through the trees. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, only that it was upstream. He hesitated for a second before following the sound.

As he walked he felt his anger seep away listening to the notes. The music was strange and he couldn't quite put a name on it. It was soft and sweet but also hauntingly sad. He also found that it was getting louder the farther he walked.

Eventually, he found the source of the sound.

Paige was leaning against the same tree he'd hit his head off the day before. She didn't notice him, concentrating instead on the guitar in her lap and her pale fingers picking out the chords. She was wearing shorts again, a t-shirt with writing on it and, he grinned as he saw she was still wearing her trademark Docs and stripy tights. She wore around thirty assorted bracelets on one arm and one, fingerless glove on the other.

She looked up as he came into her sight. The song trailed off as she grinned.

"Hey" she said, placing the instrument carefully against the tree. "I thought you'd stood me up."

He sat down beside her quickly and glanced again at her t-shirt. He laughed and she grinned with him, spreading her arms wide to show the red writing against the black background. The words "Don't Eat My Brains" was set above a picture of a zombie with pointed teeth and dripping blood.

"That's nice. I bet you scare kids in the street with that."

She shrugged.

"Irish schools are very into uniforms" she informed him. "I'm just taking advantage of this opportunity. And anyway, it pisses my mum off so…" she trailed off.

"I feel sorry for your mom" he laughed.

"Yeah right" she snorted. "If it were up to her I'd be wearing a whole load of _pink _crap" She shuddered at the thought and he laughed again.

"Your mom into all that stuff then?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. Anything overly girly and my mums into it. She hates my clothes, my hair, the books I read, the music I listen to."

"Yeah. Heard ya' playin'. S'good" he said awkwardly. He wasn't used to talking about stuff like that, even if it was true.

"That's what she thinks I'm doing now. I told her I joined the school band and that we have rehearsals today" She rolled her eyes. "So long as she doesn't insist on coming to one of their performances, I should be fine."

"You ever done anything like that? Ya know, playing in front of people and stuff" he asked.

"Naw" She shook her head. "You might have guessed, I don't really fit in with people that well."

They stared at each other for another second and then burst into laughter at the idea of her playing hymns in the school band.

"So, Ireland? What's it like there?" he asked when they'd stifled their fits of laughter.

"Rainy" she informed him with a smile. "Beautiful, though" she said more seriously. "Everyone says so. Loads of green fields and animals. I mean, don't get me wrong." She laughed. "Much as you might think, it's not _all _farms and stone cottages. There are cities and all the modern stuff you get here. But, that's the thing. You can be in the city and then, after a ten-fifteen minute drive, be surrounded by fields. It's cool." She had a distant look on her face.

"You miss it?" he asked. She looked at him.

"Yeah, of course. But-" She batted her eyelashes at him. "America's got it's advantages too."

He shoved her playfully in the shoulder and she shoved him back. He poked her and she poked him back in the stomach. Seeing him move away, a look of realization came over her face.

"Daryl Dixon, are you _ticklish?"_ she asked delightedly.

He scrambled to his feet and backed away, hands up.

"No. You stay away from me, girly." He warned.

"Don't you call _me _girly, Boo" she said as she stalked towards him. He backed farther away as she got closer."

"Hey, I keep telling you, don't call me B-" He was cut off when she leapt at him suddenly.

They fell to the ground and she started tickling him mercilessly. After a few seconds he came to his senses and started tickling her back. She squealed and giggled uncontrollably.

After a while, they stopped, exhausted.

"Truce" she gasped holding out a hand.

He stared at her for a second, red-faced and shaking with laughter.

Grabbing her hand, he grinned.

"Truce" he agreed.

**_Opinions are wanted so, please leave me a review. They make my day! Hope everyone is still enjoying this story. I've had all good responses so far, so… Thanks for that! I'm pretty sure that Daryl is around 15-16 in this story but don't hold me to that as I haven't completely decided yet and I have a tendency to change my mind… a lot!_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Thank you so much! I've never gotten so much response from a story so quickly. You guys have been great with the reviews and the favoriting and following. I know it's been said a lot but they really do make my day and encourage me to update quicker. So I've written this chapter which is quite long for me and I really hope you enjoy! But, enough rambling from me. Here we go!_**

**One week later**

"Looks like rain"

Paige glanced up at the sky which was grey and overcast.

"Yeah, I guess. I gotta get home anyway" she sighed.

He felt his heart sink but smiled.

"Fine. See ya tomorrow?" he asked.

She nodded as they came to the signpost which signaled her departure before running off to escape the approaching storm.

He walked home slowly. Rain began to fall in hard fast drops but he didn't hurry.

As he came to the door of the trailer he heard voices and froze with his hand on the handle. The thing he'd been dreading all week had happened.

His father was home.

He contemplated running and had just decided to wait until the trailer was empty before going inside when the voice sounded again, louder now.

"Daryl, that you? Get in here." He closed his eyes before he made his way slowly into the trailer with the feeling of going into a bear invested cave.

His father sat on the sofa, a beer in his hand. He was talking to a sallow skinned man who nodded once before making his way past Daryl and out of sight.

"Where ya bin' then?" his father asked.

He considered telling him he'd been in school but decided against it. With his father, less was _always _more. So he shrugged instead. Not that it mattered. The mans eyes had drifted to the TV screen which Daryl took as an excuse to leave.

"Hey, grab me another beer." He rolled his eyes knowing he wouldn't be seen with his back to the old man. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle from the fridge. He snapped it open with the rusty bottle opener.

But in his desperation to escape, Daryl grew careless. He tripped over an unseen beer can and spilled the drink over the already filthy carpet. He grabbed it so quickly that barely a drop spilled but it was enough to set the man off.

"Useless" he snarled, out of his chair and into the face of his son in an instant. He snatched the bottle away before shoving the teenager to the floor.

"Yer useless, just like your ma" he growled turning away.

Daryl should have just left it at that. He had gotten away easily. But he felt a flash of anger at the comment.

"Ma wasn't useless" he yelled.

He regretted it instantly as his father turned slowly towards him. He stood still for a single second before lunging forward. He grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Daryl closed his eyes so as not to see the clenched fist as it sailed towards his face. He felt pain explode through his cheek and nose and was vaguely aware that he was falling to the ground. He didn't realize he had been released until he opened his eyes. His father was sitting again so Daryl scrambled to his feet and hurried out of the trailer, holding his nose.

His first thought was to go to the one place where he had always been welcome. His second home, in the form of the woods.

But as he made the trees, he heard the first roll of thunder, followed almost immediately by a flash of lightning. The wind blew fiercely and huge hailstones hit him even through the thick cover of the trees.

He stood still, shaking. He couldn't go home, that much was for certain. The woods were out and he didn't really have anywhere else to go. He shoved his hands into his pockets for warmth and came across a piece of folded paper. Pulling it out, he remembered vaguely where it was from:

_"Here, this is my phone number" Paige said, scribbling on a page._

_"No point, I don't have a phone. Merle smashed it and we never bothered getting' a new one" he told her but the bell rang and she grinned._

_"Whatever. Just take it." She pushed the page, ripped from her notebook, into his hand._

_Shrugging, he shoved the page into his pocket and walked off._

He made a split decision and ran off. As soon as he got out of the trees, the storm got ten times worse. He got to the small bar quickly, to find the landlady, Mrs Phillips about to lock the door.

The small, plump woman seemed surprised to see the youngest Dixon stumble towards her, which was understandable as it was pouring rain and there was blood spilling down his face. It didn't take long for her to figure it out though. Having been friends with the boys mother, she knew how bad life had been for the Dixon sons since her death. So, it was without a word that she re-opened the door of the bar and pushed him gently inside. She had been closing early, knowing it was unlikely for many people to venture outside in weather like this. But she forgot all about that as she guided Daryl into the small kitchen behind the bar and pushed him into a chair. She asked no questions as she handed him a tissue to wipe away the blood.

"Tea?" she asked, reaching for the kettle.

"Naw. I wanted to use your phone" he told her, his voice muffled slightly by the tissue pressed to his face.

If she was surprised by the request, she didn't show it. She left the room and returned a few seconds later with the bar phone. Placing it on the table, she left to give him some privacy.

He took a deep breath, wondering if he was crazy for even thinking about the idea but what else could he do? He couldn't stay here all night and he was out of options. So he steeled himself and grabbed the phone, punching in the numbers before he could wimp out.

He stared down at her messy handwriting as the phone rang. And rang. He studied the number. Maybe he'd read it wrong? It was then that he glanced up at the clock and gulped. It was past midnight and she was more than likely asleep. He only hoped her parents wouldn't hear.

As he waited he cursed himself for lingering with her after school. Her "band practice" excuse was still working and she had managed to convince her mother that they needed to stay longer and longer each night.

Finally, the ringing was cut off as a bleary, but to his relief familiar, voice came on the line.

"Hello" Paige mumbled, wondering who the hell was calling her at twelve at night.

"Paige" he whispered.

"Daryl?" She sounded confused. He took another deep breath.

"I need your help" he whisper-told her.

Her voice was more alert when she answered.

"Of course. What's wrong, Boo?" He smiled at the nickname as he explained to her what had happened in as little detail as possible. Six words, to be precise.

"I need somewhere to stay tonight."

He had to hand it to her, she asked none of the awkward questions he was dreading. She just reeled off an address with instructions on how to get to her upstairs bedroom using the old oak outside her window. She told him twice, very clearly, that hers was the fourth window on the left.

"I'll turn off the security system now" she promised before hanging up.

He thanked Mrs Phillips quickly before running off into the darkness again, wondering how big a house you had to have to need a security system.

TWD

"Hey."

He smiled at how normal her voice sounded as though she was greeting him at the school gates instead of helping him crawl through the second story window of her house in the dead of night with her parents sleeping, unaware in the next room.

Her calmness disappeared quickly as he moved into the light.

"Oh My God, Daryl, what happened?" she gasped, grabbing his chin and turning his face so she could see the bruise and dried blood already forming. He shrugged away from her.

"S'nothing" he muttered but she wasn't listening.

"Stay here" she ordered before slipping out of the room.

He looked around. The room was about twice the size of his whole house. When he had arrived at the house, he had been sure he had the wrong address. The place was huge, more a mansion than a house but it was the only one in the area with an oak tree in the back yard.

From what he could see in the small amount of light coming from the lamp in the corner, he saw her bedroom was mostly purple, her favorite color. A huge four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room with at least twenty pillows strewn around. A solid dark wood desk stood in one corner with a sleek black laptop on top of it. A leather sofa sat in front of a huge flatscreen making him feel uncomfortable. How much money did this girl have?

He turned as she re-entered the room carrying a blanket and a first-aid kit. He tried to protest but she pushed him onto the sofa quickly. He gave in and relaxed as she dabbed at his face.

"I've got some clothes here 'cos yours are soaking. They're my dads so they'll probably be way too big but…" She trailed off.

"S'fine." He knew she wouldn't fail to notice all his monosyllabic responses.

"I'll hang yours on the radiator in here so my mum won't see them."

"Great." He searched for something to say. "Will she come in here tomorrow morning?" he asked.

"I've locked the door." She paused, finishing cleaning up his face. Taking a deep breath, her voice was quiet as she spoke again.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

It was a question, not a demand. I mean, he had arrived at her house in the middle of the night with a busted face and no explanation. She had every right to want to know everything but her soothing tone was telling him clearly that he didn't owe her anything.

He shook his head and she nodded.

She handed him the blanket and one of the pillows and made to stand up. At the last second, she seemed to be struck by some thought. Hesitantly she wrapped her arms around him, again letting him know that she would be fine if he wanted to pull away.

But he didn't. His arms went around her awkwardly and he laid his head on hers. In that moment, he forgot about his father. About Merle and the trailer and everything else because even though the girl sitting next to him was the same age as he was, for the first time in he didn't know how may years, he felt safe.

**_Hope you enjoyed this. Is it too much? Please review! Byyyeeeessss!_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_AAAAGGHHH! Easter holidays are OVER. School tomorrow and eight weeks 'til summer. That means updates are gonna be shorter and spaced farther apart. Sorry Guys! I originally meant for this and the next chapter to be one but, again, time is an issue I can't get around. Not the best chapter but enjoy._**

_Briiiiiiiing!_

A single second of silence followed after the school bell went before chaos erupted.

Wave upon wave of students washed out of every exit and onto the pavement. Shouts of laughter filled the air. The usual excitement of the end of a school day was made greater by the fact that it was the last day before summer. The feeling in the air was almost electric.

Daryl Dixon and Paige Wilson followed after everyone else, in no hurry to leave.

"Thank God tha's over" Daryl said.

"What are you talking about? You hardly ever go" Paige laughed.

He shoved her shoulder playfully. She returned it quickly and grinned.

"So…. We have three months of _vacation_" she said and then laughed, still not used to certain American words. "We need a hobby, Boo" she informed him.

"Good thing we have so long to figure it out." She nodded in agreement.

"Okay, lets go somewhere" she said.

"Woods?" he suggested.

"You realize how easy it's gonna be for me too burn in this heat. I mean, look at me." She held up an arm. Her pale skin contrasted wildly with his tan and he laughed.

"Ice-cream then?" he asked. She considered for a second before shaking her head again.

"Too crowded" she told him, which was true. The small ice-cream parlor was a massive attraction for the towns teenagers and in this heat…

"Your house, then?" He had visited her home a few other times. He grinned as he remembered the first time he'd met her parents.

_"Nice house. Didn't really expect ya' ta live in a place like this." He gestured around the massive kitchen with sleek black appliances and shiny counters and floors._

_She turned with two glasses in her hands and rolled her eyes._

_"More my parents taste. And by that I mean my mothers taste. Dad pretty much just goes along with what she wants." _

_She sat down across from him at the huge island and pushed the lemonade towards him._

_"What do they do again?" he asked, taking a long gulp._

_"They're lawyers." Another eye roll. "It's completely-"_

_A door slammed and she choked. Daryl leapt to his feet._

_"Thought you said they were out? Should I go?"_

_She hesitated but it was too late. Voices, laughter and suddenly her parents were there and the kitchen began to feel a lot smaller._

_"Oh, honey, you're home. How was your d-" The woman froze, catching sight of Daryl._

_She was tall, thin and looked like what Daryl thought Paige might look like if she wore a suit and put her hair in a bun. Although this woman's hair was blonde. The thought of a blonde Paige gave him the wild desire to laugh and he fought to keep his face straight._

_"Paige, who is this?" the woman asked, smiling._

_"Mum, Dad. You're early."_

_"We closed a big deal and took the rest of the day off" her father, a tall muscled man with brown hair and Paige's brown eyes said. He was looking at Daryl too but in a less threatening way. Paige must have noticed her parents distraction._

_"Mum, Dad, this is Daryl. He's a friend from school" she said, looking as uncomfortable as Daryl felt._

_"Oh, hello dear. I'm Paige's mother, Alice" the woman said, holding out a hand which he shook. The gesture was unfamiliar._

_"David" her father told him, also accompanied with a handshake._

_Paige's mother looked like she might want to stay and question him further but after a cough and a meaningful glance from his daughter, David Wilson took his wifes arm._

_"Honey, I need to talk to you about something" he told her, already starting to guide her gently from the room._

_"Oh,alright. I'll see you later, dear. Goodbye Darren." She waved before her husband managed to successfully drag her from the room. He closed it after him, not before nodding at the grateful look Paige gave him._

_At once, the two teenagers left the house as quickly as possible. They ran across the perfectly manicured lawn, climbed over the fence and into the woods._

_In the cover of the trees, they held their sides, panting. After a few moments, there eyes met and at the exact same time, they burst into laughter._

"Hmmm" Paige considered. "Naw, your house is closer" she said decisively and began walking off. He had told her, once, where he lived, a decision he now regretted as she made her way in that general direction.

He knew his father was out and, having only left the day previously it was _very _unlikely that he'd be back. Merle, though… Usually he stayed out during the day but knowing his luck, Daryl was convinced his brother would pick that day to be home.

"Paige, don't. Look we'll go somewhere else. _Anywhere _else. He was panicked. He didn't want Merle anywhere _near _Paige. EVER. He thought of what his brother would say and shuddered.

Paige was watching him with pursed lips, considering.

"Nope" she said finally. "I wanna see your place."

And with that she turned heel and ran off.

He hesitated for a second before following after her.

**_Opinions. Daryl? Too OOC? Paige's parents? Too OTT? You mightn't hear from me for a while (See above, over-dramatic note) Sorry,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_I am SOOO sorry for the long wait. I have no excuse except that I'm lazy and secondary school is exhausting sometimes. Anyway thank you for all the fantastic support. You are all wonderful, wonderful people. Your reviews make my day. Keep them coming._**

"Paige. Paige, STOP."

She threw a glance over her shoulder, looking amused as Daryl hurried alongside her.

"What?" she asked, still walking in the direction of his trailer.

"Let's just go to your house. Or the woods. Or somewhere else." _Anywhere else _he thought.

She stopped finally and turned to look at him.

"_Why?"_ she asked. When he didn't answer she kept walking, a little slower now.

"Is it your dad?" she asked quietly. If anyone else had mentioned his father he'd have told them where to go. But her voice, laced with concern instead of pity and curiosity as he had come to expect, that made him unwilling, _unable,_ to lie to her.

"Naw he's out."

"Your brother" she prodded.

"Well, he should be out, but…" his voice trailed off.

"Well… we'll just have to be really careful then" she said brightly and hurried off again.

He glanced at her outfit, the trademark black and purple tights he was accustomed to, Docs, a purple and black net skirt that was short at the front and trailed almost to the ground at the back. The only evidence of the sweltering heat was the thin purple shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal pale skin and one fingerless glove. Her arms were inked with doodles, the result of a long, end of summer term school day. He imagined what Merle would say about her and shuddered.

It wasn't as though she wasn't used to snide comments, weird looks, quick judgments. Her clothes and actions were enough to determine that. She was nice to anyone that was the same but had gained a reputation for her quick tongue and at giving as good as she got in the way of insults. The highlight of the year, in Daryl's opinion, was the day a posh, stuck up blonde named Natasha Williams had made a snide comment about Paige's hair, making sure that she was within earshot of the whole canteen. The chatter quieted and there was silence as everyone watched her stand up, take her food, a plate of Spaghetti Bolognese, and turn to leave.

"Guess her and Dixon really are perfect for each other. The two freaks together."

He hadn't even had a chance to stand before a scream pierced the air.

The stern-faced principal had led Paige from the canteen, ensuring she didn't speak. Not that she tried.

But even the teachers, hurrying around to try control the situation couldn't control the slow round of applause from the spectators who looked on as Natasha Williams stood and ran from the hall, Spaghetti Bolognese trailing from her golden blonde hair.

"Daryl?"

"Huh?"

They were in the trailer park now. She marched along, with authority, despite the fact she obviously didn't belong. He was glad that there was hardly anyone around, except a few mothers chatting and smoking together who threw them a glance. Their gaze froze as they took her in, cigarettes forgotten, halfway to their mouths. She waggled her fingers at them cheerily.

He was determined not to tell her which trailer was his but she had a knack for guessing and after she threatened to knock on a random door and ask, he pointed it out. He knew how well visitors were taken in his neighborhood.

She burst through the door and sank into the sofa. He sighed in relief when he saw it was empty.

She sat and chatted as naturally as she ever did, despite the surroundings. They talked about what they would do that summer and he promised to teach her to use a bow.

"Seriously? My dad has one, I think, but I've never used i-"

She was interrupted as the door crashed open.

"Daryl? Ya in here? Get yer ass out h-" Merle froze as he caught sight of Paige. A grin spread slowly across his face.

"Oh, sorry. Hadn't realized I was interrupting" he said.

"This yer_ girlfriend _Darylena?" he sneered. Daryl opened his mouth to say something, _what, _he didn't know, but Paige beat him to it.

"Oh, please. He wishes he was that cool."

Merle stared at her for a second, in shock and then to Daryl's relief, he laughed. He walked into the kitchen and Daryl heard the fridge open.

"Ya wanna beer, darlin'?" Merle shouted and Daryl shook his head at her quickly. Knowing Merle, it was likely to be more than beer. She caught his eye and nodded.

"No thanks" she said, shaking her head at the bottle Merle tried to hand her.

"Why?" He shook the bottle in front of her face tauntingly. "Ya scared?"

Daryl closed his eyes. If Merle thought she was frightened he would eat her alive. He waited. Merle waited. Finally she spoke and Daryl was surprised and impressed that her voice didn't waver.

"Pregnant. Eight months. Can't you tell?" she asked, rubbing her completely flat stomach.

Merle guffawed again and suddenly it was Ok. She laughed and joked. She brushed off Merles sexist, racist comments easily and Daryl could feel the reluctant respect his brother was giving her. Finally she glanced at her watch and sighed.

"I gotta go. See ya' Daryl. Merle." She nodded to him and walked out, slamming the door behind her and leaving the two brothers alone.

"Well, hell. I can tell why ya' like 'er" Merle said, heaving himself up from his chair and going for another beer.

_You don't know the half of it_ Daryl thought.

**_Hope you enjoyed. I'm just back from an hour and a half of Gaelice training. If you're Irish, you'll know what that is. If you're not, you mightn't but it is, in my opinion, the best sport EVER. But our weather is as unpredictable as ever. It was rainy, then sunny, then REALLY rainy. Anyway, long story short, it was muddy, I fell a lot and now I really need a shower which is why it's so short. Sorry. Opinions, as always, appreciated loads. I'll try not to leave it so long again but if I do, I'm really sorry. 'Till then,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Hey. Just wanna say, I'm sorry I haven't replied to everyone who has commented or followed. Time is a big issue and I only get like an hour at night to update. I will try, when I get time, but until then please know that I read and appreciate every review, favorite or follow. They make me update faster. I hadn't meant to tonight but the great response I'm getting encouraged me to post this. Sorry it's short. Time issues again_**

**_!_**

The summer weeks passed quickly.

Eventually Merles comments slowed and stopped, at least the ones about Paige and Daryl. The remarks on her clothes, hair and accent stayed.

"Ya could be hot, ya' know" he told her, one day when she was in the trailer. "If ya' didn't look dress like an emo leprechaun all the time"

She'd slapped him playfully and laughed it off, a method she'd learned was best with him.

Most of their time, however was spent in the woods.

"I can't do it!"

One summer Saturday afternoon found Paige and Daryl deep in the trees, him with his crossbow, her with the bow she had dug out of her attic, which she was now flinging to the ground in frustration. She sat down with a thump on the ground. Daryl stared at her for a second before bursting into laughter at the look on her face. Today she had chosen a green vest top and shorts. She had traded the laces on her Docs to luminous green ones. The tights were ever-present. Daryl guessed she had a huge stock of them in her house.

"C'mon, ya' can't stop now. You're getting good" he lied. She snorted. He sat next to her, leaning against the same tree.

"Yer parents know yer here?" he asked. She sighed.

"Mum doesn't. I told dad. I think he's glad. You might find this hard to believe because I blend in so well," She grinned and flicked her startlingly dyed red hair over her shoulder, before continuing

"But I wasn't exactly the most popular person in my last school" she admitted. She suddenly turned playful to avoid the awkwardness.

"Why? You planning on kidnapping me in the depths of the woods and holding me hostage?" she asked. He laughed.

"Naw. You hang round ma' place so much, it's like ya' already live there. Anyway you'd be a shit hostage. You talk to much." He laughed again as she slapped him. Then she stood up and stretched, her muscles sore from the strain of pulling the bowstring back all day.

"Come on" she said determinedly. "Let's do this shit."

She aimed at the bulls eye Daryl had set up on one of the trees. She pulled the bowstring back and put the arrow in. She aimed and let go. The arrow hit a bush three feet from the tree. She sighed, irritably.

"Plant your feet farther apart" Daryl instructed her. She did. This time, the arrow landed with a _thunk _on the target, though nowhere near the bulls eye. She turned to him, still sitting by the tree.

"Help me" she begged. He stood up, purposefully slow and she rolled her eyes. He stood next to her and hesitantly started helping her, positioning her feet more securely and showing her how to hold the bow more comfortably.

He felt awkward. He was still uncomfortable with being this close to a person and the feeling of her skin against his made him uneasy, at first. But after a while, he relaxed a little. Being with her felt more natural after the months of being friends.

After five more tries, the arrows started getting closer and closer to the centre and he moved away to let her try by herself.

"I'm glad too, y'know" she told him, not looking him in the eye.

"What?" he asked, confused. She glanced at him and away again.

"Glad I met you, I mean. Call it stupid or whatever…but you're my best friend" she admitted, her face flushed.

He didn't really know what to say. She was his best friend too. His only friend. He trusted her like he trusted no one else. But he didn't know how to say that aloud. He wasn't good with feelings. Worse than she was and she was still refusing to look him in the eyes.

"Sorry to make shit awkward" she told him. "But I'm not taking it back. It's true so deal with it, bitch." She grinned and suddenly everything was OK, natural again.

"We should go" he told her, noticing the darkening sky. She nodded.

"Just one more try?" she asked. He leaned against a tree to wait.

She placed her feet like he told her, held the bow properly and pulled the string back as far as it would go. She knew Daryl felt the same even if he would never admit it. She got that he didn't like talking about shit. Neither did she, much. But she was determined to let him know she was there for him, always. She took a deep breath and released the bowstring. They both grinned as it embedded itself solidly in the centre, a perfect bulls eye.

**_Kay. Some Paige, Daryl bonding. The comment from Merle is just what I think Merle might say about Paige. No insult is intended but if anyone takes it badly, please tell me. Oh and the Irish stereotype? Really not me but REALLY Merle, I think. Just a quick question? Should I lead this into the apocalypse? I mean, if I do it will be WAY in the future. Also Daryl/ Paige romance? Not sure and I don't want to make this another of THOSE stories. I love 'em, don't get me wrong, but I wanted this to be kinda original, like Paige! Opinions, please? Thanks,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Oh My God! You guys are AMAZING! The opinions I've gotten for this story so far have been fantastic so I really want to thank you all for the support. This chapter is long for me, as a Thank You. So, Enjoy!_**

"Hey, don't you even _have_ your own house?"

Paige knew better than to take Merle seriously.

"Oh, I do, but I just can't resist your sparkling conversation skills, Merle." She fluttered her eyelashes and he laughed.

It was a lazy Wednesday afternoon and as usual she was hanging around the Dixon trailer. She stretched out on the sofa, yawning.

"Where's Daryl?" she asked.

"He went to buy some more beer. We're out" Merle told her and she gasped.

"How will you cope?! She asked. He rolled his eyes.

"About as well as you without dressing like a clown, I guess" he shot back. She stuck her tongue out.

She kicked her feet up on the coffee table. Her Docs lay on the floor and a small hole could be seen in her tights. Before she could manage any more than a half-amused, half-annoyed look, the door opened and Daryl strode into the room, putting a pack of beer and a huge bag of Doritos down on the coffee table. At once, Merle pounced on them with relish.

"Hey. What's up? Daryl asked, spotting her.

"Merle's being mean to me" she pouted.

"Yeah, Merles a bitch."

"Hey, watch yourself, boy" Merle said, which would have been more threatening if his mouth hadn't been full of Doritos. Paige smiled at Daryl.

"So, what do ya' wanna do today?" she asked.

"Dunno, maybe we could…"

Daryl never got to finish his sentence because a burst of laughter floated through the open window, one that was all too familiar to the Dixon brothers.

"Shit" Merle cursed.

"What do we do? Daryl asked his brother in panic. Paige didn't know what was going on, but the look on Daryls face, _Daryl._ The bravest person she knew, was enough to make her sit silently on the sofa, staring at them both wide-eyed. Merle ran a hand through his short hair.

"Right. Daryl get Paige in your bedroom." It marked the seriousness of the situation that he didn't make any crude jokes along with this statement. "I'll try an-"

**_CRASH!_**

The door hit the wall as it banged open and everyone froze, Daryl still in the process of hustling Paige away.

"Ain't no one gonna say Hello? I was gone fer two weeks y'know."

No one spoke as the Dixon brothers father entered the small trailer.

"But then again, guess y'all bin busy. Bin hearing some stories" he informs them and his eyes slowly go to Paige, seeming unsurprised. "Guess it's true then. Jims wife says she seen ya hangin' around with some rich girl. He raised his voice as though Paige might be deaf. "What are ya doin' here? What do ya want?" He started to move towards her but Merle stood in his way, placing a hand on his fathers shoulder.

"She don't want nothin', Pa." He turned to her and jerked his head towards the door.

Taking the hint, Paige started edging around the man. When she got to the door she started to run.

She was almost to the gate of the trailer park when Daryl caught up with her.

"Daryl…" she started.

"Paige, listen" he said, interrupting her. He took a deep breath, readying himself for her reaction. "It's probably best if ya stay away from me."

"Wh-what?| she stuttered, staring at him. His eyes were cold as he stared down at her.

"Don't come back here anymore" he told her and with that he turned and walked away, trying to pretend he hadn't seen the tears already streaming down her face.

TWD

It was a getting dark before their father left again. Daryl tried to stay out of his way but he couldn't avoid the fresh bruises he received. They weren't half as bad as the pain of knowing how much he had hurt Paige.

When he heard the door slam he came out into the living room again. Merle was sitting on the sofa, rubbing his face. Daryl noticed Paiges Docs laying in a corner, having been forgotten in her haste. His stomach twisted. He sat down. Merle didn't say anything for a few minutes. But finally-

"What'd you say to her?" he asked. Looking up, he stared directly at his younger brother. "When ya' left to go find her, what'd ya say?"

Daryl shifted in his seat.

"I told her to stay away" he mumbled. Seeing the look on Merles face, he grew defensive. "Well, what'd ya want me to tell her? He snapped. "I ain't having him near her again."

Merle stood up angrily.

"And what?" he asked, almost shouting. "Yer gonna do what, Daryl, huh? Ignore her? Lie to her? She ain't stupid and neither am I. Ya think I don't know where ya go when he's here? That ya ain't at her house? Don't be stupid! Now get outta here and fer Gods sakes go after her!"

"And tell her what?" Daryl was shouting now too. "What d'ya want me to tell 'er, Merle, 'cos it sure as hell can't be the truth."

Both brothers stood, panting and glaring at each other. A sudden knock at the door broke into their argument.

"_WHAT?" _they both yelled in unison. Neither of them expected the voices anger to match theirs but it did.

"Paige, I know you're in there, now open this door _right now."_

That, of all things got their attention.

Daryl strode to the door and yanked it open. He was shocked to see Paige's mother standing on the step, in a suit, her hair still in a bun. A shiny silver car that was in danger of getting stolen in the area sat behind her and Daryl could see Mr Wilson sitting in the drivers seat.

"Oh yes, hello, Daryl" she said.

"What'd ya say about Paige?" he asked, ignoring the greeting. She patted her perfect hair.

"Yes, well, I know you two have been joined at the hip lately but I really must insist she come home now. You can see each other tomorrow." She peered around him, trying to look into the trailer, then looked back at Daryl.

"Where is she?"

"Paige isn't here. She left hours ago" he managed to choke out.

If he'd been paying attention he might have heard Mrs Wilson gasp. He might have seen the panicked look she exchanged with her husband and he might've seen him climb out of the car and hold his wife, trying to silence her panicked voice.

But he wasn't paying attention.

He stumbled back inside. Merle jumped up at the look on his brothers face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he demanded.

Daryl looked up at him but it was as though he was looking through him. A feeling of guilt had settled itself in the pit of his stomach. He gulped.

"It's Paige. She's missing."

**_Oooohhh, cliffhanger. Sorry about that but I couldn't resist. Daryl and Merles dad. I didn't really know how to portray him, so opinions would be good. Just so you know, the Jim in this chapter is just a random name I thought of and is nothing to do with the Jim in the show. I hated writing about Daryl and Paige fighting, even if it was just a little so if it's not good, please say because I'm having some major doubts about this chapter. Anyhoo, whatever, it's late so 'till next time,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Thought for ages what to write here (something I've never done for an authors note) Thank you for the support. Enjoy ( Though I'm afraid you might not)_**

Mr Wilson managed to convince his wife not to call the police. He himself knew that his daughter would never go to _band practice _and that she had been missing a lot more than his wife knew.

At this point they were sitting in the living room of the trailer. Daryl felt uncomfortable and by the looks Merle was giving him, he was too.

"But, David we thought she was here."

Mr Wilson sighed and rubbed his face.

"You said she was here? Why'd she leave?" he asked Daryl.

He also knew, or rather suspected, that the majority of his daughters time was spent with the brothers. It had made him uncomfortable at the start but it made her happy so he'd kept his mouth shut.

Daryl glanced at Merle.

"Well, we uh, we had a bit of an argument" Daryl explained, avoiding their eyes. Mrs Wilson's head snapped up.

"What about?" she asked.

"Ain't none of your business" Merle said curtly.

"When it comes to my daughters safety, it _is _my business. And what was she doing _here _anyway?" she turned her question to Daryl but it was Merle who answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Merle asked, standing up angrily.

"Merle" Daryl stood up and put a hand on his chest. He pushed him away, into the kitchen so that the Wilsons wouldn't hear.

"Look, cool it, yeah? She won't think twice about calling the police and we don't need that" he warned.

Merle glowered but nodded.

When they returned to the room, Mr Wilson was talking.

"We need to start checking places she might be" he was saying. At once his wife started making a list: the school, the shopping centre, the ice cream parlour.

But suddenly Daryl knew she wouldn't be in any of those places. He stood up so quickly that everyone in the room stared at them. He looked around, his eyes landing on his brother.

"I've got an idea."

TWD

It started to drizzle as he walked through the trees. He could hear the rain hitting the water in the stream.

He approached Paige silently, in hunting mode.

She was sitting at the foot of the tree she'd been in that first day, her head in her hands. He stopped right in front of her and she gasped in surprise. When she looked up his stomach knotted as he noticed the tears running down her face.

He sat next to her. This was going to be hard.

"Paige, I'm uh, I'm sorry" he muttered. Silence.

"Paige?" More silence. He finally turned to look at her. She was staring at him.

"What?" he asked, confused by the look on her face. He expected her to be angry, upset but she was staring at him blankly as if she was trying to see something that wasn't there. Finally she spoke, her voice husky from her crying bout.

"What are you sorry for Daryl?" she asked. It was his turn to stare at her.

"Uh… For shouting at you. I didn't mean it, I swear."

She stood up silently and walked to the stream. Her feet were bare apart from the tattered remnants of her tights. Her feet were covered in cuts from running through the trees. She sat down and put her feet in the water. It was late and cold but she didn't appear to notice. He didn't move.

"You're sorry for that? _Really?_ Because, you know that was the last thing on _my _mind when I ran away. I'm not _that _delicate, you know" she said.

"Then what?" he asked, startled.

She turned around and for the first time there was anger in her eyes, mingled with the pain.

"You _lied _to me Daryl! Every time I asked if you were Ok, how things were at home, you told me you were _fine_, everything was _good. _When you'd turn up at school or at my house with a busted nose or a black eye, I thought there had to be some sort of explanation, a simple reason. I got that you didn't want to talk about it, I _respected _that. And you know why? Because I was _stupid_ enough to believe that you trusted me enough to tell me if something was seriously wrong. I thought we were _friends_."

She screamed the last sentence. Tears fell but she wiped them away angrily. He stared at her in shock.

"We are friends" he choked out eventually. She laughed without humor and stood up, staring down at him.

"Yeah, I thought so. But you know what, Daryl? You wanted me to leave you alone? You got it."

She turned to leave and he knew that this was it. If he let her walk away now, he'd lose her, maybe for good. He wanted to stop her, to scream and tell her everything. He wanted to show her his scars and tell her how much she meant to him. She was his best friend in the world. He hadn't noticed when the joking and laughing had become more but it was as he watched her turning to leave that it became clear to him.

But emotions weren't his strong point. They never had been. He had had them knocked out of him by his father over the years. He had grown used to leaving things unsaid, secrets locked up in dark places, never addressed, never spoken of. He couldn't take it if she rejected him. If she saw everything, she might be disgusted or, worse, she might pity him. She didn't know the half of it and he feared that if she did he would lose her.

But then again, as she began walking away, he began to feel he already had.

She quickened her pace and the trees swallowed Paige from view, the silence of all the unanswered questions raging on.

**_I _****_HATED _****_writing this chapter. It came out well enough (I hope!) but I almost couldn't stand writing about them fighting. I just wanted them to make up this chapter but I restrained myself (just). Was Paige too over-Dramatic? I really don't want her to be one of _****_THOSE _****_characters, but I also really wanted to show how angry she is that Daryl doesn't trust her. AAAARRGGGHHH! I can't win! Anyway, I'm not ashamed to admit that I listened to Beyonce's song Halo like five times writing this. Constructive criticism is always welcome. I'm gonna go be sad now soooo,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**

**_P.S (I'LL GO AWAY AFTER THIS, I SWEAR.) _**

**_But I wrote this quite late and I didn't have a lot of time so I apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes. _****_Note, I'm writing this the way I normally would do mistakes for other people might be fine in Ireland_****_ which is always awkward. It'll be like that unless grammar check changes it automatically. Anyway, anyone else notice how you only realize you've made a mistake when you're reading over it after it's posted? Or just me. Sorry. Bye now._**


	10. Chapter 10

**_Enjoy. Review. Sorry it's late so I need to go. Sorry for mistakes. _**

Daryl didn't see Paige again that summer.

When he had gotten in later that night Merle had been there, sitting on the sofa and holding a beer.

"Hey' he grinned. "Went well then? Paige called that woman and she nearly cried when she heard her voice. They're pissed at you but at least they ain't gonna call the police on us fer kidnapping." He laughed. When Daryl didn't join in he focused on his brother.

"Wha's wrong? He asked. Daryl didn't answer. Instead he walked past, into his room, shutting the door behind him

**XXXXX**

It was harder after the holidays ended. He had thought, for a while that she would come around when school started. He kept trying to talk to her, to explain but she ignored him for the most part and when she did speak, it was blank and expressionless. She was cold.

Eventually he stopped bothering. He spent most of the day in the woods but he never saw her there again.

Something else happened in the weeks of Paiges silence that distracted him, however.

A woman in a dark suit had arrived at the trailer one day. She looked nervous, which was understandable given the looks she was getting from the few residents that were around.

Daryl was in bed at the time. By the time he'd stumbled into the living room Merle had shut the door and was sitting on the sofa, rubbing his face.

"Who was tha'? Daryl asked groggily.

"Lawyer." Merle looked at Daryl. "Pa got into a bad fight las' night when he was drunk. He's dead." Merles voice was flat and expressionless.

Daryl let the words sink in. Part of him was in shock. His father had been in hundreds of fights before, thrown thousands of punches.

The other part of him was relieved and he hated himself for that. But the fact that the hell that he felt every time he came home to find his dad there was _over_… He couldn't help but feel elated at the fact.

Looking at his brother, he could see the same conflict raging in Merle. It was one of the only times he had felt truly close to his brother.

TWD

The weeks after his fathers death were hard on Daryl.

The funeral had been simple, with just him, Merle and a couple of his dads drinking buddies, all looking bleary eyed from drinking the night before.

After that everything sort of blurred for the Dixon. He spent the nights partying with Merle and didn't wake up 'till at least noon every day. He got a reputation for fighting and had been cautioned more than once. People left him alone and learned to stay away from the "trailer at the end of the street."

He still felt flashes of pain when he thought about Paige but he dealt with them differently now. By punching a wall, for example. He tried to forget her but he couldn't get the image of her tear stained face as she walked away, out of his mind.

So he filled the void with more parties, drinks, girls. None were like Paige though. None as quirky, as cool as his former best friend. He tried to push thoughts of her into the corner of his mind but they lingered, ever present.

He remembered her red hair, how she flicked it out of her eyes when the fringe got too long. How she nibbled on the skin of her thumb when she was nervous. How her brown eyes shone when she laughed and how those eyes could look at him in a way that no one else could. Like she cared.

TWD

He was hunting. He did a lot more now, partly for fun, partly for food. And partly to stop thinking about Paige, not that he'd admit it to anyone.

He grinned as he took down a deer he'd been tracking for over an hour. As he moved towards the lifeless body, he prepared to tie it and drag it home. The muscles on his arms were more defined now, from fighting and hunting.

He froze as he heard a sudden sound. He listened. After a few seconds he went back to what he was doing. However his head flashed up when he heard the noise again.

**Thump.**

The dull thud was barely audible but his sharp ears, trained to track, caught it.

He hesitated for a second, glancing down at his kill but upon hearing the sound again, he set off in pursuit, telling himself he could always come back.

He peered around a tree into a small round meadow. The sound was close and his eyes searched for the source. Only when he found it he wished he hadn't.

It was Paige. She was holding her bow the way he'd shown her and was aiming at a tree twelve feet away. She hadn't changed. Her hair was a little longer but other than that she was the same. The same red hair. The same brown eyes. And- he smiled- the same tights and boots.

She hadn't seen him. She was too engrossed. He watched as she took aim, pulling the arrow back with ease and released. It hit the bulls eye, joining the others there. She'd been practicing.

He turned to move away, to leave her to it but a twig snapped underneath his foot.

Her head shot up and he prayed she'd wave it off. But she moved towards him instead.

"Daryl?" she asked, sounding confused. "What're you doing here?"

It wasn't mean or spiteful, just surprised. It wasn't her to be angry or bitchy, it was one of the things he'd missed about her. He held up his crossbow in explanation and she nodded. She went to the tree, yanking out the arrows.

"You're getting good" he told her. She shrugged, facing away from her.

"So you're just gonna ignore me, huh?" he asked, getting pissed. She turned to face him again slowly and there was no anger in her eyes, only sadness. He realized in that moment that this had hurt her as much as it had hurt him.

"What do you want me to do, Daryl?" she asked, her voice pleading.

He strode forward and took her shoulders so she was looking at him.

"Be my friend again" he told her. "I'm sorry, I told you that."

She looked away.

"That's not the point" she whispered. "You're sorry for all the wrong reasons, Daryl. Still. You're sorry for hurting me. The only way you're doing that is by not telling me how _you're _hurt. Don't you _see _that. I only ever wanted to help you but whenever I tried to ask you shrank away. You acted like I would stop being your friend if you told me. As if I would stop wanting to know you. Like that was _possible._ Right now, I don't know you. This person, who acts cold and mean all the time? I don't know him and I don't want to. I want you to be _my _friend. The one I met in that science room who could've told me where to go but didn't. Who could've asked a million questions but didn't. You were the only person in that school who I felt looked at me for _me _and not just the weird new girl."

She looked back at him, her eyes burning fiercely. Her voice had remained calm throughout and it was only her eyes which gave away how upset she was. After a few seconds she pulled out of his arms gently. He let them drop, suddenly empty.

"Until you realize that I want to know you, the good _and_ the bad, I can't be your friend. It hurts too much."

She turned away and he wondered how many times she would walk away from him and if it would always hurt this badly. Before she left she turned back towards him.

"And Daryl?" He stared at her and saw the hesitation in her eyes. She smiled sadly.

"For what it's worth…I'm sorry about your dad."

He stared at her as she disappeared through the trees. When she was gone he sank to the ground heavily. Arms on his knees, staring but seeing nothing, he let his thoughts consume him.

**_Was this okay? I remembered a comment I got saying something might happen making Daryl change to how he is in the show. That wasn't what I was thinking when I wrote this but two birds, one stone, right? I think Daryl could learn to be more trusting without his dads influence but y'know, opinions? Anyway, night, night,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Hi. So, I've felt like this story has been focused a lot on Daryl. I've decided to write a Paige POV chapter. I've never done one before so, tell me what ya' think!_**

I walked home in silence. The meeting with Daryl had upset me.

It was beginning to drizzle as I walked but used to traditional Irish weather, I ignored it.

It was just starting to get dark as I pushed open the back door. Stepping into the kitchen, I pushed my hood down.

I was surprised to see my mum there. She was usually at the office and used to having the house to myself I hesitated in the doorway.

"Hello. How are you?" Her voice was bright and cheerful, something I was unused to and though she wasn't facing me I could almost hear the smile in her voice. It was suddenly like she was everyone else's mother. Growing up, it had been my dad to pack my lunches, pick me up from school, ask me about my day and do the other things most of my friends had associated with a mother.

"It was good" I answered, coming into the kitchen.

"Really? What did you do?"

"Um… I hung out in the woods, practiced my archery. It was fun."

"Right, well I'll do that right away" mum said.

"Uh… what?" I asked, confused now.

"Okay, thanks a lot. Bye."

She turned around and my heart sank. My mum pushed a button on her headset. She seemed surprised to see me.

"Oh, hello dear. I didn't see you there. You okay?" she asked and I guessed I must have looked pretty bad for her to have noticed.

I nodded. Picking up an apple from a bowl on the table, I went to leave, wanting nothing more than to go to my room.

"Paige?"

I turned back reluctantly and saw my mum staring at me suspiciously.

"You weren't with that boy, were you?"

I sighed. I knew she still blamed Daryl for my disappearance that night. She still insisted I could have got pneumonia even though I barely got a cold.

"No" I lied. I felt bad for a second but I mean it wasn't like I'd _meant _to meet up with him. It had just sort of… happened.

She nodded and let me go. I sloped to my room.

Closing the door I looked around. I'd tried to make everything in it original and _me _but in the past weeks it had all started to look flat and dull. It was as though my room had begun to mirror my own emotions.

I walked to the corner where my notice board hung. I smiled as I looked at it, the little pieces of my life. There were pictures of my old friends, my old house, my old _life._ Pictures of my only remaining grandmother and the dreamcatcher she'd given me for my fifth birthday. I'd hung it over my bed for years before realizing that though the beautiful circle, with tiny threads spiraling through it and strung with beads and feathers was nice to look at, it couldn't stop bad dreams.

When she'd given it to me wrapped in purple paper (she knew it was my favorite color) she'd smiled knowingly. I'd never said anything but she seemed to know how I was feeling. How I looked at other girls parents and wished I could have that.

They tried, I knew and they were good at going through the motions but it was always slightly vague. When I woke up at night and called out they would come in and hold me but for reasons I couldn't understand it didn't really help and eventually I stopped bothering.

Staring at the picture, I wiped away tears. I wrote, she wrote but… somehow it wasn't the same. I had lost her and now…now I had lost Daryl too.

I sighed and walked to my bed. Reaching underneath, I took out another box. Pictures again. But these were different.

The camera, one of my favorite things, was full of snaps of some of the happiest moments I'd had. One of Merle in the trailer, drinking a beer. One of the stream by my house. And of Daryl. Most of them had been taken without his consent when he wasn't looking. Otherwise he'd never have let me take them.

I missed him. I hated it but it was true.

But.., he had lied to me. I had grown up with lies, simple ones like "I'll be there" when I knew they wouldn't and bigger ones like "It'll be ok" when I knew that wasn't true.

There were pictures of me too. Ones I'd known were coming, where I'd smiled or pulled a face. And ones I hadn't known about until the day Daryl and I had stumbled into the chemists to have them developed.

One of me laughing, pushing my hair out of my face, playing the guitar, reading a book. They were all different but the same, somehow. The same because they were all slightly blurred around the edges. The same because I wasn't looking at the camera in any of them. And the same because I was smiling in every picture.

The last picture was the only one Daryl had willingly agreed to having taken. He had his face close to mine. Her hand was stretched forward, holding the camera and they were both smiling.

I stared hard at the girl in the picture. She looked care-free and happy and it hurt that I didn't recognize her.

I sighed. Being mad at Daryl was the single hardest thing I had ever done but I couldn't deal with more people pretending they cared. I'd thought he was different. I'd confided in him things I'd never said to anyone else. I'd _trusted_ him. And all the time he'd been hiding everything from me.

I was suddenly exhausted. Laying back on the bed I closed my eyes, letting the memories consume me and the tears fall.

**_Bee'sGirl813, your comment made me laugh. "Night Night…But it's 9 o' clock at my house. I know about time differences and stuff (especially since most of my viewers seem to be from America) but it was still weird in that context. So…. Depending on where you are, Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, Good Night! But it's 10 here and I'm grumpy without sleep so… buh-bye!_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	12. Chapter 12

**_A/N at end of ._**

**Thump!**

Her eyes flashed open.

**Thump!**

Paige sat up slowly. What the hell was that? she wondered. Another thump drew her attention to the window.

She glanced at her alarm clock. It was well past midnight and she should be deeply asleep.

**Thump!**

Problem was, there was someone or _something _outside her window.

She got up and walked towards it, grabbing a *Hurley stick***** as she went which, she guessed, was the equivalent of an American grabbing a baseball bat to defend themselves.

She slowly twisted the handle of the door leading out to her balcony, cursing herself for leaving it unlocked.

Outside, she shivered in the cold and squinted through the darkness.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"Paige?" A gruff voice answered her and she almost fell off the balcony in surprise. She grabbed the railing and leaned on her hurl to stop herself toppling.

"Daryl?" Her voice was surprised, then angry. "What the **_hell _**are you doing here? It's two in the morning and if you think you can just show up here and-"

"Paige, shut up" he said, interrupting her whisper-yelling. "I need to talk to you."

"And you couldn't have done this in-Oh I don't know, the day time?" she asked, still mad.

"Please?" was the only response she got.

She stood there, fuming and Daryl waited anxiously. But finally-

"Well, alright. I'll get the door. You just wait there for a few minutes and try not to- AAARRGGHH!"

She had to remind herself to keep her voice down as Daryl appeared suddenly on her railing. He grinned. She huffed, unsmiling and moved to let him in.

He walked into her room and plunked himself down on the floor by the sofa. He took out an unmarked bottle. After taking a swig he offered it to Paige who still hadn't moved from the doorway. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring at him.

"Is this what this is, Daryl? A drunken prank?"

He sighed, putting the bottle down.

"No. I need to talk to you."

"You're bleeding" she realized suddenly, moving forward instinctively. She stopped still a few feet away, cursing herself. She hated herself for caring about him, worrying about him after everything he'd done. She huffed again, from embarrassment this time.

"I'll, um, I'll go get the first aid box."

He started to stop her, to tell her to leave it but she slinked past him and out the door silently. He decided she probably needed some time to think.

After a few minutes he stood up. He wandered to her bed, looking at the posters there. He smiled at a pair of her trademark tights hanging off the end of the bed and another two pairs on the floor. He was right about the stash she had, then.

He went to her desk next. It was cluttered with papers and unsurprisingly, twizzler wrappers. Paige had become addicted to them since Merle had offered her one a few weeks back.

He turned his attention to the rest of the desk. He picked up a hair clip and accidentally knocked over a packet of pictures.

Daryl hesitated. He didn't want to pry. He had just decided to leave them back untouched when one of the pictures which had fallen onto the floor caught his eye. He leaned down and picked it up. He realized why it was familiar to him. It was the picture Paige had convinced him to take of the two of them. He felt a twinge at his happy face, remembering again how much he had missed her.

"Hey."

He spun around to see Paige staring at him.

"Uh…sorry. I didn't mean…"

She shook her head and smiled slightly.

"It's okay." She gestured to the sofa and he sat down. She began dabbing at his face.

"So…you gonna tell me what happened?"

Daryl was silent.

"You get in a fight?" she guessed. He shrugged.

"Just with Merle."

She tried to contain her curiosity and failed.

"What about? Or are you gonna lie about that too?" She stopped and looked away.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. She had decided, while in the kitchen that she didn't want to fight with him right now.

"Don't be. You're right." Daryl took a deep breath. "Tha's what we were fightin' bout." He glanced up at her confused face. "He told me I hadda get my head outta my ass and talk to you. He knocked some sense into me. Literally."

She smiled. That sounded like Merle, alright. But then her smile faded.

"I don't want you arguing because of me" she told him.

"Naw. He was right." Another deep breath and he was suddenly looking right into her hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry, Paige. I thought if I told you the truth, you'd be freaked out, ignore me. And I really didn't want that. I didn't want you ta pity me. I still don't."

She took his hand.

"Tell me what, Daryl?" she asked quietly.

He sighed, pulling away from her and she was hurt for a second before she realized he was pulling up his shirt. His back was to her and she gasped when his pale skin came into view.

"Daryl, I…" She reached out and gently touched one of the long jagged scars, littered on his back. He flinched at her touch but didn't pull away.

The marks contrasted wildly against his pale skin. They were all different shapes and sizes. Long, short. Some were thin and others deep enough to make her flinch.

She grabbed his face and turned him to face her.

"What happened to you?" she asked fiercely.

And he told her. He talked and talked. He told her everything. He told her about his fathers fits of rage and his fights with Merle. About how everything got worse after his mother had left.

When he was finished, he waited for her to say something. She didn't.

He started to feel that awkward regretful feeling he knew would come. He refused to look at her.

"Uh…Paige…I'm, um"

He was interrupted as she crushed her lips to his. It was a few seconds before he realized what was happening.

Her hands were on his arms. Hesitantly he placed his on her waist.

After a few seconds he pulled away.

"I'm sorry Daryl. For everything. I'm so so sorry" she whispered. He shook his head.

"Not your fault. But I don't want to be away from you, so I won't." He smirked. "Just sorry it took so long to figure that out."

It was only after Daryl had left through the window and her heart rate had calmed a little that she realized what had just happened. She could've kicked herself. Daryl was her friend, her _best _friend. And she'd just kissed him. Could they be friends after that? Was that what she wanted? Was that what _he _wanted? It had been a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, she hadn't really thought about it.

Questions flooded through her mind but it didn't take long to forget them. She rolled over onto her stomach and smiled sleepily. She and Daryl were talking again and that was all that mattered.

**_Right. Question. Relying on YOU guys now so don't let me down._**

**_I was thinking that, in maybe two chapters, I should skip forward a few years, do a couple of chapters of Paige-Daryl in their twenties, then go into the zombie apocalypse. Please tell me if you think this is a bad idea, too soon, whatever because _****_I'M _****_ not even sure._**

**_Also, just so you know, this is NOT the start of Daryl-Paige romance. The messages I'm getting right now are basically telling me people want this (Again, if you don't agree I'd love to hear) But unfortunately, not yet. Too soon, I feel and remember_**

**_Daryl is still going through a lot. _**

**_Just so you know, I don't do smut. I can't write it. I'm sorry if you're disappointed. There are a lot of stories that do it, and do it well, but I can't. I hope this doesn't lose me too many viewers!_**

**_*Hurley (or camóge for girls) is an Irish sport using, obviously a hurley stick or a "hurl" Just thought I'd put it in, in case anyone was confused._**

**_I've never eaten a twizzler. I just wanted an American sweet and I heard it on TV. Sorry. Any other American "candies" you think I should use? HaHa!_**

**_So…yeah. Sorry for rambling! Byyyyeeeeee,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	13. Chapter 13

**_I'd like to thank everyone for all the reviews for the last chapter and all the other ones. This is fluff, a nice moment between Paige and Daryl, set on Paige's 17_****_th_****_ Birthday to make up for all the fighting. Short, because of time limitations but I hope you enjoy! _**

**_Because I haven't said it in a while, if you recognize it, I don't own it. Merle, Daryl and any future use of AMC's characters are not mine. They belong to their respective (and brilliant) owners._**

Daryl glanced at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time.

He was waiting at their usual place in the woods for Paige. Today was her birthday and they had agreed to meet up after her parents had left for work. He'd have gone to meet her but her mother was still angry with him and Paige had "forgotten" to tell her they'd made up.

A crunch of leaves alerted him to her presence. As the sound grew louder, he frowned. He could swear there were two sets of footsteps, but who else would Paige bring? The other footsteps seemed quieter, lighter and his confusion grew.

He didn't have long to ponder this before Paige burst through the trees.

"Daryl" she squealed. "Look at what my parents got me!"

Behind her trotted a small puppy, which instantly bounded towards him.

He smiled at the grin on her face and bent to pat the dog. It immediately began sniffing his fingers before licking him in, what he felt was a sign of acceptance.

The puppy was tiny, grey and fluffy with bright blue eyes.

"He's a Siberian Husky. Isn't he _gorgeous?" _Paige asked, her face alight with excitement. He nodded.

"My parents got her for my Birthday. Plus I think they think I'm lonely in the house by myself." She rolled her eyes and flopped down beside him. The dog immediately pounced on her, licking her face.

"I was so surprised. My mum isn't exactly the biggest animal lover so I dunno _what _my dad said to convince her." She smiled and he smiled back, glad everything was back to normal.

"Kinda' outdoes _my _gift, though." he told her.

"Daryl, you didn't have to get me anything" she said, mock-sternly, before a grin broke across her face. "Now, gimme, gimme."

He laughed and stood up. She waited impatiently as he went behind the tree he'd hidden her present behind.

"Hurry up" she called, tapping her foot. He laughed again but inside he was nervous. It had been three weeks since the night in Paige's room and neither of them had spoken about the kiss again. It was an added awkwardness they didn't need but Daryl was determined to get her something good for her birthday. He didn't have the cash to buy anything huge and wouldn't really know where to start anyway. He'd worked on the gift for weeks and had spent the previous night finishing it off and praying she would like it.

"Close your eyes, it's not wrapped" he shouted. He heard a huff and grinned to himself.

"Okay, they're closed" she called after a second.

He made his way back towards her, ensuring she wasn't peeking. He flopped down beside her and placed the wooden instrument in her hands. Slowly she opened her eyes and gasped.

In her hands was a bow. It was sleek and smooth like silk. The wood was clean and light. It wasn't too heavy and seemed the perfect size and weight for her small frame. There was a quiver of arrows that matched.

She ran her hands over it in silent awe. Daryl watched her, chewing his lip. He had noticed her own bow was a little heavy and beginning to crack and splinter in some placed with the pressure it was under so he'd thought it a good idea at the time. Now, though, he wasn't so sure.

She still hadn't said a word and Daryl was getting really nervous now. He spoke to fill the silence.

"It was my old one. I fixed it up, stripped the wood, replaced the bow string. It should be easier for you to use, more comfortable but if you don't like it, I can take it back and-"

"Daryl?" she asked, interrupting his rambling and pulling the bow away from him as he tried to take it from her.

"Uh…Yeah?" he asked.

"Shut up." She grinned and suddenly she was hugging him. She pulled back and he was glad to see she was grinning. Paige never faked her smiles, they spread across her face and her eyes lit up. If she wasn't happy, she didn't pretend to be. It was one of the things he liked about her.

"I love it! How could you think I wouldn't?"

He smiled in relief and hugged her back.

"Happy Birthday, Paige" he whispered into her hair.

After a few seconds, the dog, feeling left out, buried between them. Paige laughed and pulled away, cuddling the writhing ball of fur.

"Ya thought of a name yet?" he asked her.

She stopped and looked at him. A small mischievous grin crept across her face.

"What?" he asked.

"Weeeell…" she said, drawing the word out. She stopped, the grin still across her face and started to giggle.

"What'd ya do, girl?" he demanded. She was still laughing.

"I was thinking…of calling him… Radley." She choked out between fits of giggles.

Daryl stared at her for a few more seconds before joining in the laughter.

"Crazy bitch" he said, shaking his head when the laughter had subsided.

She wiped her eyes, clearing away the tears of laughter before leaping to her feet.

"C'mon" she said suddenly. "I wanna' try my present out."

She grabbed the bow and arrows and sprinted out of the clearing.

He struggled to his feet and followed her, the newly christened, Radley, right on his heels.

**_Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting. You guys are amazing! Seriously. What'd you think of the "To Kill A Mockingbird" reference? I wanted something original but at the same time not completely random. This kinda links into the "Boo" thing so… opinions. Will be skipping some time soon and I'm almost certain I'm covering the apocalypse, though maybe a little AU if I can't help myself. This should happen in around… maybe, five chapters? Cos' I wanna show how the charcters develop as they grow up. Anyway, thanks again,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Okay, so I've been saying I was going to do this for ages and now I have, so tell me if you think the time skip was too soon or whatever. This is really just an introduction and I know not that much happens this chapter, so bear with me. Thanks to everyone who has faved, followed and reviewed on this story. If you recognize it, I don't own it. Enjoy!_**

"Hey Paige, Daryl's here."

She glanced up and smiled as her best friend walked through the door.

"Thanks, Hayley."

"Ugh… and his brother's with him" the blonde groaned as she got sight of the loud-mouth redneck. Paige just smiled, watching Daryl and Merle walked to their regular table.

She poured two beers without even having to ask. Putting them on a tray, she walked towards them. Daryl glanced up as she approached, and smiled.

"Hey, Boo" she teased and he rolled his eyes.

"Hey." She put the tray down and the brothers picked up their drinks.

"Well, hi Paige. S'good ta see you too" Merle said sarcastically and she grinned.

"Oh Merle, you know I'd love to talk but we wouldn't want the other girls getting jealous now, would we?" Merle laughed and she winked.

"Nice shirt" Daryl smirked suddenly. "New uniform?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, Jenny's idea" she said, referring to the landlady of the bar she worked at, who had decided that bright pink shirts would be more appropriate than allowing the waitresses to wear their own clothes, However, the purple tights and Docs that she kept in constant supply, remained.

She got back to work quickly after that, wiping tables, serving drinks and smiling. A lot. By the time she flumped into the booth beside Daryl, she was exhausted and her cheek bones were killing her. The brothers laughed as she rubbed her cheeks, wincing.

She had brought them over another round, two beers and a coke this time. She'd have loved a beer and cursed the responsibility she couldn't shake, knowing she had to drive home. She took a deep gulp of the cool liquid and sighed.

"Rough day?" Daryl asked and she nodded. Her head rested on the table with a soft thump. Her dark blood red hair stuck up oddly and as she sat up he noticed the dark red, matching lipstick and thick eyeliner. Her whole demeanor clearly screamed "Don't Mess With Me." When she'd first began working in the bar, Daryl had been prepared to defend her from the kind of assholes that hung out around it most nights. However, a few sharp words and quite unsubtle threats had allowed Paige to show that she had the fiery personality to match her hair. She wasn't stuck up like some of the girls, though and her good nature had soon shined through her hard exterior and made her a favorite for all the locals.

"How about you, though?" she asked glancing up at the two Dixons. "What'd you guys do all day?"

"Work" Daryl grunted. He worked at a local garage in town and Paige had become a welcome regular there too with the owner and other mechanics. She nodded and turned her eyes to Merle. He shrugged.

"I spent my day off very _effectively_." His voice was slightly slurred from constant beers.

"Spent the day sittin' on his ass drinkin' is what he's saying" Daryl smirked and Paige joined in.

"Hey" Merle barked but he was grinning too.

They spent the rest of the night sitting in their corner, talking and drinking until eventually Jenny came over and kicked them out.

"C'mon, I'll drive ya home" she told them. The brothers grumbled that they'd be fine but saw sense when Merle stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face walking through the car park. They all piled into her car, Daryl in the front and Merle in the back. They were barely in the car for two minutes when they heard Merles snores fill the vehicle. Daryl rolled his eyes and she laughed quietly.

"Ya workin' tomorrow?" he asked and she nodded. "I can give you a lift" he offered and she nodded again, gratefully.

They fell into a comfortable silence until they got to the trailer park. Merle grunted awake and slouched off, barely stopping to say goodbye. Daryl gave her an awkward hug and got out after his brother. He leaned through the window to say goodbye. She smiled and waved before he stepped away and she drove off.

When she unlocked the door to her flat, Radley leapt on her excitedly.

"Hey, hey" she laughed, petting him into silence.

She felt another wave of exhaustion hit her suddenly and walked into her bedroom, yawning. She pulled off her boots as Radley jumped onto the bed next to her. She ran her hands through his thick fur and buried her face into his shoulder blade. She meant to get up and get ready for bed properly but the smell of her fur was a familiar and comfortable smell and before she knew it, she found her vision getting blurry and allowed Radleys deep soothing breaths to lull her to sleep.

**_Thanks for reading! I'll try to update soon,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**

**_PREVIEW_**

**_Okay, feel free to skip over this if you want but I've written something I don't THINK anyone's done before. It's The Walking Dead but you don't see that for a few chapters. I'm not very sure about it and I've wrote around 3 chapters so far but I haven't posted any. If you have a second to read the first chapter I'd love your opinions. If you don't, again, feel free to skip. Thanks to LeaDenise who I've already sent a copy of this too and who was supportive, as always._**

**_Basically, a master-thief and her friends dealing with the apocalypse:_**

It was 5:12 am when the alarm went up.

One of the guards walking through the silent halls was the first to notice the absence of one of the most famous paintings in the world.

After that, everything moved quickly. The whole museum was locked down. The police and the FBI were called. The worlds best detectives were dragged from their beds and pulled into work.

And when everyone was gathered in the huge decorative hall where the painting in question had been placed, they were no closer to figuring it out than they had been in the first place.

There were no fingerprints or other distinguishable clues. The security company official- a short, fat man in a suit and a tie- was telling anyone who would listen that his company had the finest security system in the world and that there was no way anyone could get inside the room without them knowing about it.

And, for the most part, it seemed he was right.

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The night was cool and clear. There was nothing to block her visibility.

She pulled her auburn hair under her cap which was black like the rest of her clothes. The car was black also, inconspicuous, nothing at all like the flashy vehicles she usually preferred. But tonight she needed to be invisible.

She slipped out into the alleyway she was parked in and squinted up.

The museum, her target for the night, was three streets from where she was parked.

She glanced around and quickly found what she was looking for.

She was silent and unnoticeable as she climbed the fire escape.

Soon she was on the roof of the small run-down building. She leapt over roofs gracefully, an act she was skilled and practiced at from years of experience.

Thirty minutes later and she was staring through a glass domed window. Thirty feet below her was a huge hall. She knew the glass was bullet proof and that only a massive amount of heat would allow her to break through.

She glanced at her watch. Any second now.

Right on time, a guard walked into the room. He glanced around, before continuing on his rounds. She waited a few minutes to make sure he was out of earshot before she pulled the tools from her bag. She knew the guard would not be back for another twenty minutes but she wanted to be well gone by then.

The torch felt ominous in her hands and she knew one wrong move could set the entire building on fire. But risking her life, and the lives of others was something she was not unfamiliar with.

The torch had a point the size of a ballpoint pen. Holding the instrument firmly she cut a hole, big enough for her body to slip through.

As soon as she was finished she threw a rope ladder into the building and lowered herself inside.

Landing cat-like, she glanced around before slipping out of the room.

She hurried up the hallway. She knew, from her extensive analysis that it only had one camera, which was currently broken. She also knew that the repairman wouldn't be at the museum until the next day. To her relief, she met no one on her silent journey through the building.

As she approached the control room she stopped. Hiding around a corner, she waited.

Technically, none of the guards were supposed to leave their posts but, from constant surveillance she knew that the man in charge of the control room left at around five every morning to get a cup of coffee from the staff kitchen. This gave her ten minutes. That didn't matter. She'd been nicknamed for her speed and agility.

As soon as the man was out of sight, she moved.

In a matter of seconds she was inside the control room. Various lights blinked and around thirty monitors showed the different rooms throughout the building. She slipped what looked like a rectangular box from her bag and plugged it into the main computer. A few clicks and she was done- the TV screens were now on a loop of footage which would allow her to pass through the building without notice. She smiled. Phase One of her plan was complete.

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After that, everything was rather simple. The main hall was empty and with a few skilled maneuvers she was able to slip the painting off its hook and into the canvas bag she held without setting off the alarm.  
Then it was a simple matter of climbing up the ladder and through the gap in the glass, pulling it up behind her just as the guard re-entered the room, exactly twenty minutes after his last check.

As she was moving again, over the rooftops, she heard a yell as someone noticed the painting was missing and she smiled.

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"I can't understand it."

The owner of the museum, who, upon receiving a call from his head of security, had returned early from a trip with his family and was now close to pulling out his hair in frustration "I thought your security system was the best" he yelled towards the security company representative, who was now drinking tea, parched from the endless talking. He cleared his throat.

"Sir, I assure you, it is. The police have been informed and are searching for the painting right now. Although this…this…" he struggled for words. "This individual is obviously highly experienced, with the amount of people working on the case, I'm positive we'll find them soon."

"We still haven't figured out how they got in, in the first place" the head of security said, stepping forward. "There are cameras and guards everywhere. The only room unguarded was this one and there are no entrances in here, except…" He trailed off as they all looked up, noticing for the first time, the breeze coming through the tiny gap in the roof.

"Impossible" he said, his neck craned.

"Absolutely impossible" the owner repeated even though they both were beginning to realize it wasn't impossible. Not at all.

Yes, it was 5:12 am when the alarm went up.

But, by then, she was already long gone.


	15. Chapter 15

**_So sorry it took so long to post this. I've been so busy but if you read my other stories you'll know that I'm on summer holidays now and so have a lot more time to update. Anyway this is just a little fluff between Paige and Daryl. Enjoy!_**

* * *

Paige always woke up early on Sundays. It was the only day both she and Daryl were free and they always went hunting.

She forced herself to lay in bed for at least another hour. If she woke Radley he'd start barking and wake all the neighbours and the last thing she needed was getting dirty looks from the old lady down the hall who was always moaning about "that old mutt."

She got up at 8:30, unable to lie still anymore. She padded into the kitchen and fed Radley to keep him quiet. Then she made a cup of coffee. She drank it leaning over the sink, staring out the window. She'd forced Daryl to view almost every apartment in town until she found one with a view she liked. He'd whined the whole time and told her to just "pick a damn place." She smiled at the memory then glanced at the clock. She jumped, cursing. Daryl was scheduled for 9:30 and it was already 9:00. She was late even though she'd got up so early.

She hurried through her shower and pulled on her old clothes, a t-shirt, leather hunting jacket, shorts and of course her purple tights. She chewed on some toast as she tied her Docs.

Daryl knocked on the door just as she was attempting to scrub her teeth and brush her hair at the same time.

He smirked as she yelled "just a minute", followed almost immediately by a thump and loud cursing as she bumped into the same side table she hit every time she was in a rush.

A second later the door opened to reveal Paige rubbing her shin.

He strode in and fell on the sofa as she hurried around the apartment. He was used to her being disorganized.

She grabbed a large canvas bag and began shoving her hunting knives and bow inside. She went to the kitchen and added water bottles and lunchboxes full of sandwiches and other food.

"Ya didn't make em' yourself, did ya?" he asked.

She pulled a face as she walked out of the kitchen but shook her head, zipping up the bag. They both remembered the one time she'd tried to make lunch. Burnt pizza and cold soggy chips. Merle, who had been at her place at the time had used some pretty colorful language to describe her culinary skills. She'd reluctantly ordered a pizza after demanding an honest opinion from Daryl. The brothers still teased her about it.

"If you must know, I bought them. In a shop. Now are you just gonna sit there and insult me or are we gonna go?" she asked.

He didn't move from the sofa. His arms were propped up on either side and his boots were propped on her coffee table.

"Well, I dunno" he said lazily. "This is pretty fun." He laughed as she threw a cushion at him and ran after her as she stalked down the stairs.

By the time he got out into the street she was in his truck, the bags already stored in the bed of the truck. Radley ran up behind him and leapt in. The dog had been apart of their hunting trips since he was a puppy.

Daryl climbed in and stared at her closely. She wasn't looking at him and he couldn't tell whether she was seriously angry or not.

"Ya pissed?" he asked.

"Yes" she said curtly. He considered.

"How pissed?" he asked.

He didn't expect what happened next. She leapt at him in the small space and started tickling him mercilessly.

"Pissed enough to do this" she squealed from above him. He laughed and tickled her back. Eventually they fell back into their seats, panting. She wiped away tears of laughter as he tried to catch his breath.

"Bitch. I thought you were serious" he gasped. She giggled.

"Oh grow a pair, Boo. Now let's go!" she yelled. Radley started barking as they started the car and drove off.

* * *

She took a deep breath before releasing the arrow. It whistled through the air and hit the squirrel squarely. It went limp instantly, a perfect kill.

"Good shot" Daryl told her.

She grinned and went to retrieve her arrow, feeding the squirrel to Radley.

Throwing her bow over her shoulder, she walked back to Daryl. They'd been hunting all day and found themselves just walking, abandoning any attempts to find more prey.

They were deep inside the woods by this time. There was no sound except for the birds chirping and the insects calling softly to each other.

They made their way to a cliff Daryl had shown her on their first trip together.

She unpacked the food and they leaned against an old oak tree.

He started to eat a sandwich as she watched him, twirling an apple in her hands.

"How's work?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Same as usual" he informed her. "How's the music going?" he asked.

Her face lit up as it always did when she talked about her passion.

"Great! I wrote a new song. You wanna hear?" she asked. He nodded. She pulled out her guitar, which was a dark purple and which she took with her almost everywhere. Because of this the cover was tattered, held together by tape. There were zombie and skull stickers plastering the cover. However the instrument inside was gleaming with the care she showed it. There wasn't a single scratch on the dark purple and black paint.

She ran her hands along it gently before taking it out from its cover. She held it in her lap, hugging the instrument to her chest.

As she began to play, Daryl closed his eyes. Even the dog put its head down, staring at his owner as she played.

The music floated through the air. Like smoke, it filled him. It was slow and agonizingly, hauntingly beautiful.

And then she started to sing. Her voice was low and sweet. She slowly twisted a story, weaving it through the music. This particular song was a story of Irish fields and of people left behind. There was the grief of losing old friends and leaving things behind and he could almost feel how much she missed her old home. But then the song changed. She sung of new places and people. New opportunities and new friends. She sung of the love of a new home mixed with the regret of leaving an old one. As she sung even the birds in the trees and the wind through the bushes seemed to cease, as though even nature was listening to the music.

As s the song finished, the last note hung in the air and the silence seemed suddenly too heavy, too loud. He opened his eyes.

"Well what'd you think?" she asked quietly. She only ever sung with him and even that made her nervous. It was strange in a way- she wasn't scared of anyone. But when it came to her music, she became oddly embarrassed.

"Paige, that was so…" he trailed off, unable to find the words to describe how he felt. He still wasn't used to talking about his feelings, even with her. "That was…" He struggled and she smiled.

They were best friends. She knew what he was thinking even before he did. She could read him like no one else, even Merle, could. She already knew what he was thinking.

She smiled and put her guitar down. She leant against the tree with him and his arm went around her automatically. They sat in silence as they watched the sun dipping behind the hills. They had a perfect view of the sunset from where they sat.

"Love you, Daryl" she said, so quietly he could barely hear. He didn't answer her even though he felt the same. But that was okay. She already knew.

Daryl smiled, feeling her hair tickling his face as they enjoyed the silence.

* * *

**_Fluff! Yay! I promise I'll try to update more regularly. I didn't really know how to end this chapter so sorry if it's no good. Anyway love, _**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	16. Chapter 16

**_Fave line: "You know I'm always gonna be hot."_**

* * *

Paige was a regular at his work. She could often be seen sitting on the workbench chatting. The men had been wary of her at first, her wild appearance obviously a cause for concern. However she had quickly been welcomed when they saw how she dealt with Merle. They reckoned that any girl who could talk to Merle Dixon, the same man who could knock a guy out with one punch, like she did and stay alive had to be some tough son of a bitch.

So it was of no surprise to Jasper Cooper, who was Jay to everyone who knew him, when he came into the garage, which had been passed from his father to him several years previously, and found the girl sitting on the old wooden workbench, legs swinging in her usual purple tights.

"Hey Paige. How are you?" he greeted. She glanced up and grinned.

"I'm grand, Jay. Yourself?"

Before he could answer there was a scoff from behind them.

"Girl, ya've bin here how many years? Ya gotta stop talking like a bloody leprechaun."

She didn't even turn though Daryl hit his head against the underside of the car he was fixing up in surprise. She laughed before answering the eldest Dixon in her thickest accent.

"Well, Merle, I'd rather be a wee Irish cuddy than an aul redneck any day of the week. Now be a good lad and shut the hell up. I swear ya have the gift of the gab, you. Unfortunately for the rest of us, it's not the kind of gift ya can give back." She smiled, batting her eyelashes.

The others laughed, her voice drawing them all in like flies to honey. Merle laughed too and handed her one of the beers he'd retrieved from the fridge.

"Thanks for the beer, bro" Daryl grumbled, coming out from under the old truck.

"Guess he just loves me more" Paige said, sticking her tongue out as she twisted the cap off her beer.

The afternoon progressed quickly with her presence in the shop. She spent the morning teasing Merle, chatting to Daryl and handing him his tools from under various cars. She could care for the machines almost as well as he could from years of watching him work.

Lunch time rolled around and she dragged him out of the shop as soon as he was finished working on his last car. Pushing her huge sunglasses over her face, she huffed.

"It's too warm" she complained.

"Well, if you wouldn't wear those bloody tights all the time, you wouldn't be so hot" he told her.

"Oh yeah" she said sarcastically. "Instead I'd just get massive sunburn. My skin still hasn't adapted to Irish weather."

He snorted derisively.

"Anyway" she continued. "You know I'm _always_ gonna be hot." She struck a pose and he laughed, pushing her.

She suddenly caught sight of something in a shop window. Music floated through the open door. She pressed her face against the window for a second.

"It's a coffee shop" she breathed. Then, after a second: "C'mon, let's go in." She grabbed his elbow and started dragging him towards the doorway.

"Awww, Paige, these places are for pansies" he moaned.

"Well, if the shoe fits" she giggled, before turning serious at the look on his face. "_Please _Boo. For me." She pouted and he relented. She grinned and dragged him inside.

* * *

Paige's eyes were riveted on the man on the stage, singing softly into the mic.

"He's brilliant" she said in a hushed voice.

"Not as good as you" Daryl argued back. "Can we go now?" he asked for the hundredth time.

She sighed but nodded.

"Okay. I'll go pay for the coffee" she said, grabbing her purse.

He got up and wandered towards the door. There was a large notice board there. He looked among the flyers, bored, wishing Paige would hurry up.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. He frowned, glancing around before plucking the page from the wall. He barely had time to glance at it before Paige hurried towards him. He shoved it in his pocket and as they left the shop, he smiled.

* * *

"No way."

They were in the trailer, the flyer lying on the table.

"What d'ya mean "No way"" he asked.

"I mean I'm not doing it" she said firmly just as Merle walked through the door.

He looked between Daryl and Paige curiously. Glancing down, he saw the flyer and picked it up.

"Open mic night" he read. "What's that?" he asked the pair. Daryl sighed.

"It's for musicians. It'd be perfect for Paige."

"Yeah, only I'm not doing it" she said, shooting Daryl a glare.

"Why not?" he demanded. She looked lost for a second.

"Because…because… because I just can't, okay?"

She flumped down onto the sofa, looking defeated.

He sat beside her, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Please, Paige. For me" he said quietly, quoting her words from outside the coffee shop.

She looked into the deep, pleading blue eyes. He'd done so much for her. She could do this one thing for him. Right? She found herself nodding as she looked at her best friend.

"Okay" she relented finally. "I'll do it, Boo. For you."

* * *

**_The apocalypse is coming. Uh…in the story, I mean. I don't know about real life. Anyway, us TWD fans will be ready right? Call Norman being on my team!_**

**_A lot of dialogue in this scene. Sorry. It's weird, I talk in an Irish accent. But writing it is oddly difficult. It's actually easier for me to write American accents. Probably from the hundreds of fanfics I've read. Bad sign! Oh well! Hope ya enjoyed. Love to my reviewers, followers, favoriters (I know, not a word) and those people that make that views number tick up. You make my day,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**

**_P.S What does everyone think of my new book cover for this story? Had it for ages but couldn't figure out how to upload it. I made it in paint. Weirdly proud of myself right now! Sorry,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	17. Chapter 17

**_Fave line: "You just made a BIG mistake."_**

A few days later Daryl was sitting on Paige's bed watching her fix her hair. She glanced at the sullen expression on his face and sighed.

"Don't say it, Boo" she said firmly. He ignored her.

"I can't believe you're going out with that guy. He's an asshole."

She sighed, whirling around to glare at him.

"We're just friends and it's just one drink."

He huffed, thinking of the dumb ass wannabe biker. He opened his mouth again but she interrupted him.

"Just leave it, okay Boo?" she snapped. She grabbed her bag and her keys. They walked down the stairs together and parted ways without saying goodbye.

Daryl jerked awake suddenly. Glancing around blearily, it took him a few seconds to remember where he was. He had fallen asleep in front of the TV in the trailer with a beer, which now lay spilled on the ground.

A knock interrupted his thoughts. He glanced at the clock on the TV and cursed. Who the hell was calling at two O' Clock in the morning?

He climbed to his feet slowly. The knock sounded again, louder now.

"Yeah, I'm coming" he grumbled. He thought for a second that it was Merle trying to knock the door down. He'd been locked out a few times when he was drunk. However, Daryl remembered that his brother was in the other room, sleeping.

He stood, confused for a second but when there was another knock he decided he'd better answer it before the neighbours started yelling.

He yanked the door open with a snarl which fell away when he realized who his late visitor was.

"Paige?" he asked.

"Hey Boo" she croaked through her cut lip. When she talked, the cut reopened and blood started running down her chin.

She wobbled as she tried to walk inside and he grabbed her as she fell forward. He half carried, half dragged her into the trailer and lay her down on the old sofa.

She looked awful. Her hair, which she had so carefully fixed earlier that evening, was disheveled and coated in dirt and… Daryl gulped as he glanced the dark red, almost black liquid pooling from a large cut near her forehead. The rest of her face was pale in contrast. _Too pale _he thought to himself. Her clothes were smudged with what he hoped was mud. There were bruises just starting to appear on her cheek and neck and she was holding her hand awkwardly. Her eyes were dazed and he watched as she closed them tiredly.

"Paige, don't! Ya gotta stay awake." He knew from years of experience that sleeping with a head injury was _not _a good idea.

"_Paige_" he practically yelled as her eyes continued to flutter, off focus.

There was a thump and a few seconds later Merle stumbled into the room, looking pissed.

"Hey. What the hell is goin'… his voice trailed off as he spotted Paige and his mouth fell open. He tore his gaze away from him and glared at Daryl.

"What happened?!" he asked. Daryl, realizing that the situation was much too serious for the brothers to treat by themselves, picked her up easily.

"I dunno. She just turned up." He made his way to the door. Glancing back at his brother, he said: "Get your keys. We're going to the hospital."

The drive to the hospital was bad. Daryl tried to keep her talking but she seemed confused. It was only as they were halfway to their destination that she seemed to come to her senses slightly.

"Daryl? Where am I?" she asked blearily, her eyes slightly more focused. He looked down, feeling a twinge at her blood stained face.

"In ma' truck. We're goin' to the hospital. You're pretty banged up."

She winced as she touched her head.

"What happened?" she whispered. He caught Merles eye in the rearview mirror and cleared his throat. She groaned as he shifted his weight, jostling her as she leaned against his shoulder. He glanced at her apologetically.

"We were hoping you could tell us. You were out with that guy, Derek? And then…" he trailed off as something clicked. "Did he do this?" he asked angrily.

Unfortunately this was as far as Paige's conversation skills would go. The car fell back into silence as the Dixon brothers exchanged knowing glances.

If the car had been bad, the hospital waiting room was brutal.

Daryl, who hated hospitals anyway and tended to avoid them as much as possible, would rather have taken a hundred beatings than watch Paige, shivering even in the thick blanket, her body looking too small in one of the plastic orange chairs. The purple tights and huge Docs contrasted wildly with her white skin. It made her look sick. It hurt to watch.

So he didn't. Instead, he focused on filling out the forms he'd been handed by a grouchy nurse, who threw Paige a filthy look and glanced at her watch as if wondering if her shift would ever end.

He knew her information almost as well as she did. He hesitated on the last line but, remembering that he didn't know her parents phone number, he shrugged and scribbled his own name and mobile number in the emergency contact column.

After he had handed the forms in, there was nothing to do but wait. Merle went off for a few minutes and returned with coffees but Paige, who had been forbidden to eat or drink anything, ignored him.

The brothers started to talk quietly as they drank the hot liquid. Paige was so out of it she barely noticed.

"What d'you think?" Merle asked quietly.

"It was him" Daryl answered harshly. "This guys an asshole, Merle. She didn't even wanna go out with him in the first place. He just kept asking her 'till she did"

"So what should we do? Call the cops or-"

"No." The brothers were surprised to hear Paige's voice-they'd assumed she was asleep.

"Paige…" Daryl started but she cut him off.

"_No_, okay Daryl. Look, my parents didn't want me to move into my apartment as it is. If they hear about this…" she shook her head. "I'm not doing that."

She lapsed back into silence until another nurse, in pink scrubs, came into the waiting room and, checking a clipboard, called Paige's name.

She stood up unsteadily and Daryl grabbed her to stop her from falling. Merle stood at his shoulder and leaned in to mutter in his brothers ear.

"There are other ways we can make him pay."

Daryl glanced at him, then at Paige, His expression hardened and he nodded.

There was laughter from the bar and as Merle walked in he was greeted with cheers.

"You want your regular Merle?" the landlady smiled, reaching for a glass.

He shook his head to the astonishment of everyone in the bar. However, before anyone could object he was striding over to a booth in the corner of the room.

"Merle" Jay greeted as he caught sight of the man. "Join us for a beer?" He glanced around then looked back at the Dixon, confused.

"Where are Daryl and Paige?" he asked. They usually came out for a drink at the small bar and he was surprised to see the eldest Dixon alone.

"They're at the hospital" he replied gruffly. Jay rose an eyebrow.

"Daryl get into another hunting accident?"

"Naw. It's Paige." The man froze, his beer halfway to his mouth. The others looked up sharply. They were all friends of Paige.

"What happened?" Jay asked, concerned.

"Some jackass she went out with did it. Messed her up pretty bad."

The men exchanged dark looks as Merle leaned forward, lowering his voice.

"I need your help."

The alley was cold and dark as the man stumbled out the fire escape door. He was alone and his footsteps were erratic. He was obviously drunk.

He started when a figure stepped outta the darkness. He bounced off the broad chest and almost fell. A hand shot out and steadied him.

"Sorry man" he mumbled, trying to shuffle past. However the figure stepped in his way, blocking his exit.

"Hey dude, I dunno what you want but-"

"Maybe I wanna ask you a question." He whirled as another figure stepped out from around the corner of the building. The man tensed as more figures appeared from either side.

"Wh-what kinda question?" he asked trying, unsuccessfully to hide the quiver in his voice.

"Bout a girl. Paige Wilson. You know her?" The man exhaled and held up his hands in surrender.

"Listen, I don't know what she told you, but she was drunk. She fell. I didn't push her down those stairs, I don't care what she says."

"Yeah? Well that's funny" Merle stepped into the dim light coming from the one streetlamp at the end of the alley. "Cos' she can hold her beer better than any woman I've ever met and…" He ran his hand along the edge of the building as he made his way slowly forward. "She never mentioned any stairs."

The man paled, knowing he'd put his foot in his mouth. He tried to talk but Merle interrupted him.

"Son, you're about to learn a very important lesson. You mess with _my _family, you gonna regret it." Merles voice was silent and threatening as he finally reached the man that had dared to touch the girl that was practically his sister.

"You just made a _big_ mistake."

_That night a man was rushed to hospital with severe injuries. He was medically examined and the police were called._

_Upon arrival, he was arrested and charged for four previous counts of grievous bodily harm to various women. _

_When asked about his injuries, he refused to answer, claiming that he'd fallen while drinking heavily._

_He was then taken into custody to await trial._

**_Okay. Pretty long, for me (took ages) I hope you enjoyed it even though it was hard to write. I don't want Moses to seem weak but I did want to show the brotherly love the Dixons and their friends feel towards her and I can totally see them doing something like this. I hope no one is offended by this chapter. If so, feel free to PM me,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	18. Chapter 18

**_Fave line: He guessed he'd always known it but for the first time he noticed just how beautiful she really was._**

Paige had bruises covering most of her face, a black eye and a broken finger. Thankfully it was not her writing hand so she was still able to play her guitar.

Determined not to be put down she threw herself into her music, writing and re-writing her choice song for the open-mic night. She refused to play the new song to Daryl and as the weeks passed her best friend got more and more impatient.

Daryl was slightly uncomfortable in the crowded coffee shop. It was the night of Paige's

performance and he was sitting with Merle at a small corner table. Merle kept muttering rude things about the acts and he smirked. None of them held a candle to Paige. As the night wore on, though, both brothers slumped in their seats, bored. However, Daryl shot up straight when he heard the announcer call his friends name.

When she came onstage Paige was nervous. It was hard to spot but Daryl knew from her movements that she was worried.

She was, as usual wearing her purple tights and docs, simple black shorts and her favourite shirt which featured a zombie gnashing its teeth. Her dark red hair was set in careful spikes which stuck out in every direction. She wore matching dark lipstick and her eyes were thickly outlined in dark black with mounds of thick mascara.

Her brown eyes found him in the crowd and he smiled at her reassuringly. She smiled back and sat on the stool provided, her guitar on her lap. Her injuries were barely noticeable now, weeks later, though the sight of them still filled him with a deep intense hate. He pushed the thought out of his head as she introduced herself, her soft voice magnified by the mic.

He heard the uncertain mutters of the crowd at her appearance and frowned. But as soon as she started to sing an odd hush fell over the room. Even the clinking of glasses stopped, everyone froze. The music was strong and intense and her voice rang clearly

through the room. Though it was warm, he shuddered. He'd heard her sing but he knew he'd never get used to it. Neither Dixon would admit it for fear of sounding weak but her singing made them forget their past even if it was just for a minute.

The song ended too soon and the room was silent. Paige smiled at him but he didn't return it. He couldn't yet. He couldn't move at all. Her smile faded as the silence stretched on. She was halfway off the stage before the applause started, slow and awestruck at first then louder as it progressed. It was longer for her than it had been for anyone else. Even as the announcer tried to introduce the next act the applause for Paige went on.

Paige found him afterwards in the crowds. She jumped on him and he hugged her tightly, lifting her off her feet.

"Ya did amazing, Paige. I knew ya would" he whispered in her ear.

There was a cough from behind them. Paige looked over his shoulder and yelped.

"Mum! Dad! What are you two doing here?" she asked.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world" her mum said, staring at Daryl pointedly.

Paige untangled herself from Daryl awkwardly.

"I guess all that band practice paid off" Mr Wilson said, raising his eyebrows. Paige laughed.

"Uh…I'm gonna go and find Merle" Daryl muttered.

"You're giving me a ride home, right?" Paige asked. He tried not to look at her mothers face. She still didn't like him.

He nodded and walked away.

Later, in the car Paige was bubbling. Merle kept laughing at her, bouncing around in the backseat like an excited puppy.

She glanced around curiously as they passed the road leading to her apartment.

"Where are we going? I thought you were taking me home" she said puzzled. The Dixons laughed.

"It's 10:30 girl. It's way too early to go home. Anyway it's not like you'll be able to get to sleep anyway" Daryl said, eyeing her with an amused smirk.

They drove through the trailer park. It was noisier than usual. She glanced at both brothers curiously but they refused to meet her gaze. As they got closer to the Dixon trailer it became increasingly more difficult to drive because of the huge crowds that had suddenly appeared.

"What-" she started but before she could finish the question the door was yanked opened and she was pulled from the car.

"Hayley?" What's going on?"

"Hi" her friend squealed. "It's a party for you. Daryl organized it."

She turned to stare at Daryl.

"You did this?" she asked. He shrugged awkwardly. She went to give him a hug but Hayley grabbed her arm just as the other girls from the bar rushed up.

"Nuh-uh. We gotta get you changed" she said, looking Paige up and down.

"Why?" she asked defensively but Hayley and the others were already dragging her off towards the trailer. She threw one last helpless glance at Daryl mouthing "traitor" as he shrugged and she sighed, allowing herself to be pulled away.

Daryl was sitting on one of the upturned tires they'd dragged into the old fire pit behind the trailer when Merle strode up to him. His brother sat down heavily, handing Daryl one of the two beers he held and popping the lid off the other.

"So…Paige tonight huh?"

Daryl glanced at his brother confused. Merle was grinning at him.

"What?" he snapped eventually. Merle sighed.

"Ya realy are an idiot, ain't ya? She likes ya, dumbass." Daryl flushed and shook his head. Merle laughed.

"She could barely take her eyes off ya tonight. Ditto you. Make a move. Tonight." A grin crept slowly across his face and he nodded in the direction of the trailer. "Hey, now's your chance."

He turned and felt his jaw drop. He heard Merle chuckle but ignored him. He was too busy looking at the girl making her way towards them.

He couldn't believe it was Paige. Her face had been wiped clean and the make-up reapplied in softer, more gentle shades, the grey kohl outlining her deep brown eyes. Her red hair had been smoothed down from its usual spikes and fell almost to her shoulders. She was wearing a short, strapless dress which flared out at the waist. It was dark purple, blended with black. The tights were still recognizable and he wondered vaguely how she had managed to win that argument. The docs were gone, though, replaced by black high heels and as she spotted him she smiled. She walked over and sat down, beer in hand.

"Hey" she smiled.

"Uh…hi" he muttered not knowing what to say. Thankfully he was saved by Merle.

"Wow Paige, you almost look like a girl" he teased. She punched his arm but grinned.

"Hayley invested a _lot_ of time and effort."

He opened his mouth again but, seeing a friend in the crowd, struggled to his feet and made off, yelling. This left Daryl alone with Paige.

She managed to drag him off to dance to the music pounding from a stereo. He sloped off eventually to get another beer, but she danced on, laughing, screaming, her shoes abandoned somewhere in the dark.

Eventually she stumbled towards where he was sitting and collapsed beside him, panting, her face flushed. He offered her his beer which she accepted gratefully.

He thought about what Merle had said. Was it true? He remembered the night she had went out with that idiot, his fists clenching at the thought. But then he remembered before that, before he'd even met the guy, how he'd hated him. His stomach clenched as he realized he was jealous of the dumbass. He looked at Paige again, really looked at her. It wasn't just the new clothes and hair. He noticed how her eyes sparkled in the light of the fire and how perfect her white skin was. Her lips, almost always upturned in a smile were full and pink, her face a perfect heart shape. He guessed he'd always known it but for the first time he noticed just how beautiful she really was.

"Daryl?" she whispered and he realized he'd been leaning closer to her so that their faces were almost touching.

"Paige" he breathed, leaning closer still, wanting nothing more than to touch his lips to hers. She leaned in too, closing her eyes.

It was then that a sudden ear-splitting scream pierced the air.

**_I'm so mean. I really wanted to have them kiss but it wasn't the right time. I hope you enjoyed this, I've been having serious writers block for this chapter for days now but I think I'm back on track now. Anyway review,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	19. Chapter 19

**_Fave line:_** **_"I'm glad she met you, you know." Daryl nodded._**

**_"Yeah. Me too."_**

**_OR_**

**_"Anyway, since when do Dixon's play by other peoples rules?"_**

* * *

They shot apart, Daryl cursing inwardly. They looked up to see a woman running towards the fire pit. Everyone watched as she fell, a huge piece of flesh ripped from her neck. She gurgled once, blood dribbling from her mouth and down her chin. Then she went still.

There was silence for a second then panicked screams filled the air. Paige gripped Daryl's arm.

"What the hell's going on?" she asked. Before he could answer Merle sprinted towards them.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked at once. Merle looked more panicked than Paige had ever seen him. He ran a hand through his short hair.

"We gotta get outta here. I'll explain on the way."

He grabbed Paige's arm and started dragging her towards the truck, Daryl following.

People were running in every direction and screams filled the air.

They climbed into Daryl's truck quickly. He sped out of the trailer park.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Merle looked lost for a second.

"My place" Paige said from the backseat. Merle looked at her for a second then nodded.

"What's going on?" she asked. Merle rubbed his face.

"I don't really know. People started going crazy back there."

"Yeah, they were drunk" Daryl said, rolling his eyes. But as they turned on the radio they began hearing panicked newscasts. Merle quickly tuned in to one.

"…officials are advising people to stay inside and stay away from crowds. While we don't yet know what we're facing, experts are advising people not to panic. In other news…"

Daryl switched the channel off as he exchanged a glance with his brother.

They were silent as they reached Paige's apartment. The small hallway seemed empty at first but as they turned a corner Paige bumped into an old man.

"Sorry. Mr Harrison? You need to get inside, the news said…" As she spoke she took hold of his arm and started pulling him gently down the hall. He looked up and she gasped as she caught sight of a gaping hole in the mans shoulder. He growled and grabbed her arm.

"Ouch. Mr Harrison, you're hurting me." But the kind old man didn't listen. Instead he dug his nails deeper into her arm and she yelped. Something hit them suddenly and the old man flew to the ground. He turned over and growled, totally unaffected by Daryl who had hit him over the head.

"Lets get inside" he said as the old man reached a hand out, snarling.

They rushed into her apartment and she slammed the door, bolting it. She turned around, panting as she leaned against the door. They all stared at each other for a second.

"What the hell was that?" she asked. Both brothers glanced at each other. Neither knew the answer.

* * *

Hours later they all sat on the sofa. Merle had fallen asleep and Daryl and Paige sat watching the emergency broadcast. Eventually Paige fell asleep, her head falling on Daryl's shoulder. He looked down at her. She had forgotten her shoes in the panic, her tights torn, reminding him of that day, years ago when his father had driven them apart. He flinched at the memory but pushed it out of his mind. He hesitated but after checking she was asleep he rested his head gently on hers, the feeling of her soft hair soothing him as he fell sleep.

* * *

The next day Daryl was shaken awake at dawn. He opened his eyes blearily to see Paige crouched next to him.

"Paige? Wha's wrong?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Boo. I'm worried. These newscasts… They're getting worse. They've been showing footage and people…they're going crazy…biting each other."

"Paige, calm down!" But she shook her head, pointing at the TV. He looked at the screen and his stomach lurched.

The footage showed a city street. There was screaming in the background and people seemed to be going crazy, screaming and abandoning their cars. As they watched a woman grabbed the arm of one of the passers. The camera showed the woman lunging to bite the neck of the man. He fell to the ground, screaming as blood spewed from his neck and the screen went blank.

"Jesus." They both turned to see that Merle had woken up sometime during the newscast.

Paige gasped suddenly and started rootling in her bag. Pulling out a mobile she punched in a few numbers before holding it to her ear. After a second she lowered it, looking panicked.

"I can't get through to my parents" she whispered. Daryl wrapped his arms around her awkwardly.

"I need to see them, make sure they're alright" she said pushing away from him. He hesitated.

"The news said stay inside. You saw, it's getting crazy out there."

"But we can't stay here" she argued. A grin slowly crept across her face. "Anyway, since when do Dixon's play by other peoples rules?" she asked. He had to smile at that and Merle barked a laugh.

"She's right, bro" he said, clapping a hand on Daryl's shoulder. Turning to face Paige, he said: "So, what kinda heat you packing?"

She grinned and ran into her bedroom. She came out a second later with a sports bag. Daryl recognized it from their hunting trips.

Unzipping it, she yanked out her bow and arrows, three large hunting knives and several smaller throwing knives. Standing up, she yanked two decorative machetes off the wall. However when she pulled them out of the sheaths they were comfortingly sharp. She then went to the cupboard in the corner and pulled out a long wooden box. Inside was a handgun and another longer sword.

"Rapier" she explained. "Hell yeah, I fence. I have got a life outside of you two ya know." She grinned.

"Where'd ya get this stuff?" Merle asked. She shrugged.

"Ebay." He rolled his eyes and she stuck out her tongue. After a second her smile faded.

"So, we kill them, then? These people?" The brothers looked at each other uncomfortingly.

"Not unless it comes to it. But just in case this is serious and we can't get back, we need to be prepared" Daryl said grimly. She nodded.

"Okay, lets go."

* * *

They opened the door slowly with Paige's key. They had made it across town without incident. Apparently most people had listened to the warnings and were staying inside.

"Mum? Dad?" she called lowly. There was no answer. They made their way to the kitchen and she gasped.

"Dad!" She rushed forward and fell to her knees beside him. He had his face in his hands and he looked awful.

"Paige? What are you doing her? It's not safe!" He looked up at Daryl and Merle before pulling her into a hug. Then he pushed her to arms length, looking her over.

"You didn't get bit, did you? Scratched?"

"Bit? Scratched? Dad, what are you talking about?" she asked confused.

"It's a disease. These people, on the news? They _died_. But they came back as…as…" he struggled for a second. "Well, I don't know what they are but if they catch you they'll try to bite you. Then you die and come back too." Paige looked at her dad for a second then glanced at the Dixons. They looked as confused as she felt. She put a hand to her fathers forehead.

"Dad, you're burning up! We need to get you to a doctor. Where's mum?" There was a thump from the other room, followed by a hoarse voice.

"Paige? Paige, baby, is that you?"

"Mum" she yelled, running out of the room. Daryl made to follow but Mr Wilson grabbed his arm.

"Daryl, you have to listen to me! There's supposed to be a refuge centre in Atlanta. They're helping people there. You need to get Paige there."

He hesitated but nodded.

"Sure. We'll get you there too" he promised but Paige's dad shook his head. Pulling up his sleeve he showed them an angry scratch mark, dark red and bleeding.

"Alice has it too. She's worse than I am. Delirious with a fever that can't be controlled. We're going to become one of those things." Daryl shook his head but he interrupted him.

"Look, you have to get to Atlanta. Promise me" he begged. Daryl glanced at Merle who nodded.

"Okay Mr Wilson we'll-" He was interrupted by a scream.

They all rushed into the other room. Paige was standing in the middle of the floor. By the looks of it, her dad had restrained her mums arms by tying them to the bed which was lucky as Alice Wilson seemed to be doing her level best to reach her daughter. She was growling and her eyes, no longer brown, were now a pale milky white.

Paige was sobbing and when he came in she ran to her father. He wrapped his arms around her as she cried.

"She stopped breathing, dad. I don't know-" As she lapsed into silence they suddenly became aware of a TV playing quietly in the corner.

"…police have informed us that any form of contact with the infected can result in infection. The infected do not seem to have any recognition of loved ones or relatives. They also seem unaffected by wounds to the vital organs." She put a hand to her ear and gasped. "We have…now been informed that the only way to stop the infected is… a blow to the head, destroying the brain. This revelation…"

They stopped listening after this, turning again to look at Mrs Wilson. Mr Wilson took a shaky breath and sat on the bed next to his wife who at once tried to grab him. He looked into her eyes but their was no recognition. Taking a deep breath he pulled out a small revolver. Paige screamed and tried to run to him but Daryl grabbed her around the waist. He nodded gratefully and turned back to his wife. Taking out two bullets he slotted them into place. Then pushing it to her forehead, he smiled sadly tears already streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry" he whispered.

Paige turned her face into Daryl's chest just as a shot rang out. He gently pulled her from the room.

"Don't look" he murmured when she tried to turn back.

A few seconds later her dad came into the room. He took Paige gently by the shoulders and looked at her tear streaked face. Wiping away a tear with his thumb he smiled.

"I'm sorry Paige. You need to go now." He gripped her shoulders tighter as she shook her head. "Yes. Look I don't know what this is but I'm not going to put you in danger. You go with them." He nodded towards the Dixons. "They'll look after you."

Finally, she nodded once.

"I love you and your mother did too, you know that right?" She nodded.

"I love you too" she whispered. He hugged her tightly then pushed her gently towards Merle. He grabbed Daryl's wrist before he could leave.

"I'm glad she met you, you know." Daryl nodded.

"Yeah. Me too." David smiled and released his wrist. "Go" he said, turning away.

As they hurried out of the small house, Paige for the last time, they noticed a few people shuffling towards them, obviously drawn in by the noise of the shot. They ran to the truck. Another shot rang out and they froze looking back at the house. Paige let out a small whimper. Daryl wrapped an arm around her as they slipped into the backseat.

Her eyes glazed over and they were silent as they looked forward towards the city of Atlanta.

* * *

**_You're all wonderful! I got so many reviews for the last chapter. Again, sorry that there was no kiss but at least the comments made me laugh! That's basically why this is one long chapter instead of two shorter ones. A little rushed but right now I just want to get into the apocalypse and in my mind, I think it would have been quite sudden anyway since the army couldn't control it. Lots of cuddling between Paige and Boo. I didn't want Paige to come across badly, crying and screaming a lot cos' I know it's not her but y'know she did just lose both parents. Anyway, hope you enjoyed,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	20. Chapter 20

**_Fave line: Can't decide. Tell me yours?_**

* * *

_He woke up suddenly, panting as he tried to catch his breath. _

_As he sat up he realized he knew where he was. Though this certain expanse was unfamiliar to him there was no mistaking the only home that had ever offered any form of safety._

_He stood shakily to his feet. It was quieter now than he'd ever heard it. The silence was slightly eerie and just as he began to become uncomfortable the cold morning peace was broken by a sound he recognized._

_He stumbled forward, nearly tripping in his haste to reach the sound. The soft sound of guitar was too beautiful, too hauntingly perfect to belong to anyone other than her__**.**__ And he wanted- no, he __**needed **__to find her. His desperation grew and he started to run, barely noticing the thorns and brambles tugging at his skin as he tore past them. All he cared about was that she was nearby._

_He was just wondering how much farther he would have to go when he staggered through an opening in the trees into a small, deserted clearing. _

_She was there. Her back was to him but there was no mistaking that dark red hair, the mud splattered boots and clothes. And her trademark, the purple and black striped tights he'd learned to associate with happiness and warmth, though tattered beyond repair and covered in dark mud, made him smile._

_"Paige" he called out delightedly, relief flooding him now that he had found her again. She didn't turn and as he stared he realized she didn't have her guitar though the sad music could still be heard._

_"Paige?" he said again, less certainly this time. As he took another step forward, he almost retched as a horrible smell filled his nose. It took him a second to place it and when he did his stomach lurched._

_He figured it out just as she turned. He moved back as she stumbled forward, growling. _

_"PAIGE, NO!" he screamed, only it wasn't Paige, just as surely as the stains on her skin and clothes and especially the dark stain spreading slowly out from the bite mark on her shoulder was not mud._

_She pinned him to the ground and he made no move to defend himself because, even now, when she wanted nothing more than to kill him and feast on his flesh, he couldn't hurt her._

_He closed his eyes as she lunged towards his face, the smell of rotting flesh and dry blood still burning in his nose._

* * *

Daryl woke up panting for breath. Sitting up, he noticed the light sheen of sweat on his face and wiped an arm across his forehead quickly. He noticed the sun just starting to shine outside his tent and sighed, knowing he'd never get back to sleep.

Pulling a shirt on, he grabbed his crossbow and left his cramped tent. He'd taken to hunting during the day. Apart from the groups dwindling food supplys- he scoffed at this thought. It wasn't like they were anything to him. But the thought of kids going hungry, when he knew all to well what that was like encouraged him to search for food most days. Anyway, hunting had always calmed him. In those few Paige-free months in their teens he had turned to the sport for distraction. And now with her gone and the fact that Merle had opted to go on a supply run to Atlanta with the group, he needed a distraction. Daryl was aware that his brother had been- er _dealing _with the stress differently. He'd found him high more than once.

He hesitated before shrugging and stomping towards the old camper van. An old man in a fishing hat stood atop the vehicle, binoculars and shotgun in hand. He didn't like him but he couldn't help but respect Dale- at least he made an effort to defend and protect people, which was more than he could say for _some_ people. He scowled as he thought of the cop but shook himself out of his thoughts as Dale noticed his approach and glanced down at him.

"What can I do for you?" he asked and Daryl felt slightly uncomfortable of his friendly tone.

"Goin' huntin'" he said, barely biting back a snide reply. "Be back in a couple a' days." He resented having to tell them where he was going, like he was a child, but it made sense. Atlanta had fallen so quickly and those _things _were everywhere. That was, the ones that had made it out of the city. He shuddered as he remembered the aircrafts dropping bombs into their "safe haven" and once again pushed away thoughts of all the innocent, uninfected people inside.

He loaded a bolt into his crossbow as he ducked under the line of tin cans set up to warn them of intruders and made his way into the still-dark forest.

* * *

Meanwhile, not too far away but far enough Paige was wandering alone in the woods.

She was hungry.

She was thirsty.

She was scared.

But worse, she was _lonely_. It had been building for a while, creeping up on her but the nights alone, freezing in whatever tree she had managed to scale in the hope of catching a few hours sleep had allowed her to dwell on the fact that she didn't know if she would ever see the Dixons again. There was a constant threat of being discovered sleeping on the ground by one of the walkers. She smiled at the name she had christened the things with, a name from one of her countless fiction books. She frowned. _Fiction. This shouldn't be possible_ she thought. The books she'd read, the TV shows she'd watched, they weren't real. But this was. It was gut-wrenchingly, painfully real and she was alone.

_Well, not completely alone _she relented as she ran her hands through Radley's grey fur. It was warm and comforting and she was filled with relief, again, that she'd convinced Daryl and Merle to stop at her flat to collect her faithful pet. The dog had been her protector, his sensitive ears alerting her to danger more than once.

She felt a twinge as she thought of the Dixon brothers. Sighing, she leaned back against the large trunk and remembered.

_"I'm gonna take a walk." Both Dixons looked up at this announcement._

_"Ya sure?" Daryl asked and she snorted._

_"Doesn't look like we're going anywhere, anytime soon" she told him. He had to agree. Looking around he saw that the ridiculously long line of traffic leading into the city of Atlanta. They'd been stopped for hours; the traffic was no longer moving and hadn't been for a long time. People had abandoned their cars to stroll around exchanging rumours on this new "disease" and taking in the sun._

_Paige was sitting on the hood of Daryl's truck with the Dixon's. She noticed everyone was giving them a wide berth and grinned. She was a Dixon now; they were the only family she knew. The thought made her smile._

_"I'm just gonna check out what this hold up is" she said, undeterred. Daryl sighed and nodded, watching her walk away through the cars. Radley jumped out from the bed of the truck at once and followed her._

_Paige sighed, glad to be able to stretch her legs. She frowned when she saw how long the queue was. _We're gonna be here forever _she said inwardly._

_She looked longingly to her left into the darkness of the forestry surrounding either side of the road into the city. She would rather be in the privacy and shade of the trees than here, on this dusty motorway. Though many rumours were already formulating, no one knew exactly what was going on. People from all over Georgia and beyond had flocked to Atlanta in search of information, help, reassurance. But apparently the resources were not as great as had been promised as there were still hundreds of people on the outskirts of the city, unable to enter the already crowded refugee centre._

_Sitting still made her feel nervous, exposed. It was stupid and dangerous to stay stranded. She had told Daryl this a thousand times but he never listened. He'd let her rant; about Atlanta, about the limited amount of information provided by the news broadcasts, about anything really. She knew why he let her do it and she was grateful. The more time she spent screaming at Daryl, the less time she had to think about her parents and the still-raw emotions she felt from their deaths._

_Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a helicopter above her head; then another. And another._

_She walked forwards cautiously with a crowd of other people as she watched dozens of aircrafts soar over the city. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the first bomb was dropped, then the second. She watched with the crowd of onlookers as the city burned below her. And she understood. There was no refugee camp. No cure, no help. They had been led into a trap._

_It was a few minutes before the screaming began; everyone was still in shock. But as soon as the first of the infected staggered from the city, people panicked. They all sprinted for the trees. Paige saw people falling either side of her. She caught a glimpse of a woman being torn into by one of the infected. She looked all around for Merle and Daryl but she couldn't spot them through the crowds._

_Hours later, when the horde had thinned out the other survivors, she searched for a sign of them but found nothing. She even risked heading back to the motorway where Daryl's truck had been parked, but it was gone which either meant that the Dixons had escaped or one of the looters had gotten to the vehicle before she had. Either way, it was with a heavy heart that she continued on, on foot. Alone._

She sighed as she heard the telltale growls beneath her. It was time to move on. She leapt lightly from the tree and used her rapier to take care of the two corpses. Her machetes had gotten lost in the crowds but she'd managed to hold onto the thin sword and her bow, of course. She hitched her bag farther up her shoulders and started through the trees. Deciding that it would be best to get back to the main road, she followed the stream knowing that she would need water as the sun burned brightly above her.

It wasn't until noon that she met trouble. She'd met several of the infected but had been able to take them down quietly. But as she stumbled into a clearing she saw dozens of them, stumbling against each other. Her breath caught and she made to retreat, planning to double back. But her eyes, focusing on the herd, failed to see the fallen tree trunk behind her. She sprawled to the ground and let out a yelp of pain. Twenty pairs of lifeless eyes turned to her and the infected growled and stumbled forwards towards their new meal.

She struggled to her feet and sprinted off, back the way she came. Briars and branches tore at her clothes and skin and she was out of breath almost immediately. Living in the forest for three weeks, sharing a food source with any of the corpses who found the meat first and sleeping in trees meant that her muscles were less inclined to listen to instructions. They were soon screaming and she felt herself slowing. Though her pursuers were slower than her, they didn't get tired as easily and they soon started gaining on her.

Suddenly, a familiar noise sounded ahead of her and she clung to it like a beacon of hope. Stumbling forwards, she struggled to remain on her feet but the unmistakable hum of an engine dragged her forwards.

It was only as she finally spotted the motorway ahead that she realized that it was too close but the groaning sounds behind her made her realize that she didn't care. She finally stepped through the trees and onto the road just as a moving truck came barreling towards her. Knowing she couldn't run even if she'd wanted to she raised her eyes upwards and the sight of the sun blinding her was the last thing she saw before the squealing of brakes hit her ears.

* * *

**_Okay, please don't be mad. I know I've not updated in ages and this is a really bad chapter but I had such bad writers block. It was hard moving from pre to post apocalypse and I'm trying to make this a little less cliché so please try to bear with me. I'd love to say I have it all planned out and I do have a vague idea for the next few chapters but I'm not sure if it'll be any good. I'll try not to leave it so long again but if I do... again, I'm very sorry._**

**_PS sorry for spelling or grammar mistakes. It's late. If I find too many I'll change them but if it's just one or two…meh. I won't bother_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	21. Chapter 21

**Fave line: **

**Y**ou

**O**nly

**L**ive

**T**wice

**A/N Remember to tell me your favourite line of the chapter if it's different.**

* * *

Paige groaned. There was a throbbing pain in her head and even with her eyes screwed tightly shut the sunlight was painfully bright through her eyelids.

Eventually she realized how dangerous it was to be alone and unconscious with hundreds of flesh eating monsters around. She suddenly remembered the pack behind her and shot up straight.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, it's okay" a voice said in her ear.

She blinked as her eyes struggled to get used to the sunlight. When she could focus she looked towards the source of the voice. It belonged to a man with curly brown hair, albeit matted with sweat and grime, who wore a police uniform and held a gun, pointed at her chest.

Wait, what?!

"It's okay" he soothed, noticing the direction of her gaze. She was vaguely aware that they were not alone. She could see a group of people dealing with the last of the pack that had been chasing her. Another man, younger and Asian this time, stood to the side, staring at her.

"My name is Rick Grimes and this here's Glenn." She was barely aware of his words, still staring at the weapon in his hand and noticing at the same time that her own seemed to be missing. "So…you got a name?" he prompted. When she still didn't answer, he sighed and put the gun in its holster.

"There, okay?" he said, hands raised in surrender. "Now, your name?"

She relaxed slightly and contemplated her answer. She decided that he seemed harmless enough and settled on the truth.

"Paige. Paige Wilson." He smiled at her and it changed his face completely. The stress seeped away and he looked younger. Before he could say anything else a small blonde woman called out a warning.

"We should probably get going" Rick said and Glenn nodded, stepping forward and helping Paige to her feet. He couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at her appearance. Her dark red hair stood up in every direction and her face was covered in blood. Her usual tights and docs were still present, though there was a hole above the knee and they were covered in mud. She wore a dark purple t-shirt with black writing on the front which read:

**Y**ou

**O**nly

**L**ive

**T**wice

Paige didn't notice his gaze however as she was busy staring after Rick, who had grabbed her bags and weapons from where they'd fallen and was piling them into the back of the truck.

"How're you sure I'm gonna come with you?" she asked hotly but as she made to follow him the world spun and the earth rose to meet her. Glenn's arms caught her before she fell and he laughed nervously.

"You hit your head pretty hard. You should at least let us check it out before you run off. We've got a camp not far from here."

She still hesitated but, realizing she had no other real options, she allowed Glenn to drag her into the truck.

A blonde woman handed her an icepack which she accepted gratefully, pushing it against a fist-sized lump on her head. She introduced herself as Andrea. A shy woman, Jacqui offered her a small smile while another man gave her a full-blown grin and told her to call him T-Dog. A friendly-looking Mexican man sat next to her and told her his name was Morales. She smiled at them all but didn't really know what to say.

"So…how many are in your group?" she asked eventually.

"Oh, lots of people. Families, mostly but others too. We rescued Rick from a tank in Atlanta." Morales paused to grin at Rick. His smile faded slightly as he continued. "But we lost one of our group also."

"He was an asshole though" Andrea said harshly. Paige was surprised at the woman who had been so kind when she'd given her the icepack, and who now seemed less than upset at the fate of one of her campmates. Morales shot her a look but didn't say anything, instead turning back to face Paige.

"So, what about you? Did you have a group?" Paige looked down sadly.

"I was with my two best friends but we got separated in the city" she explained. "I don't know what happened to them." The silence was awkward. She knew they were all thinking the same thing, the thing that had haunted her at night. The chances that the Dixon's were still alive were slim, she knew, but it was the only thing that kept her going.

"That's a smart dog you've got there" Morales said to break the silence. "Helped us get rid of the walkers."

She nodded and smiled, twisting a hair through Radleys fur.

"Walkers?" she asked. The name felt strange in her mouth.

"It's what we call them" he smiled. She nodded. It was definitely easier than flesh-hungry, bloodthirsty monsters. "Walkers" she repeated.

No one talked for the rest of the journey and eventually they rolled to a stop. Paige peered around Ricks seat to look out the window. A few tents were scattered around an old RV with an old man in a fishing hat on top, clutching a rifle. He leapt down as they climbed out of the vehicle.

"Boy, are we glad to see you" he said, hugging Morales. "But how did you get back?"

"New guy helped us out. Found a girl on the road too. Hey guys , come and say hello**."**

Rick and Paige, who'd been hovering near the back of the group, stepped forward warily. A shout went up suddenly.

"Dad" a boy screamed, running forward. Rick dropped to his knees in shock as the boy slammed into him. A tall, brunette woman was staring at him, wide-eyed. As Rick stood up, his son still clutched close, she stumbled forward and they fell into each others arms. The family stayed that way for a few seconds, clutching each other and sobbing. Everyone watched the reunion happily except for one man, who Paige noticed was looking quite bitter at the scene before him.

Before she could question this, however, Glenn grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

"Paige, this is Dale. Dale, Paige." The old man smiled and she was reminded of her grandfather. He shook her hand warmly and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Paige."

After that she was introduced to the rest of the camp. There were so many she could barely keep track. Only one stood out in her mind. The man who'd seemed unhappy by Ricks miraculous reappearance smirked as he looked her up and down. Unlike Glenn, Shanes stare made her uncomfortable. Even as she moved on she felt his gaze on her in a way that made her skin crawl.

* * *

Later that night, after everyone had eaten and Shane had squared up to a man piling the fire too high, the air in the camp was relatively calm. Paige felt herself dozing off, warm and comfortable as she was. A woman named Carol had helped bandage her head where she'd hit it against the asphalt when she'd fallen. Radley lay on his stomach, the flames reflected in his eyes. She noticed a little girl staring at him almost longingly but when she met Paige's gaze her eyes flitted away.

"Think I'm gonna go to sleep" she said, standing up and yawning.

"Sure, honey. You can sleep in the RV and set up a tent tomorrow."

"Thanks Dale." She smiled. She already felt close to the old man, despite having just met him.

She grabbed her bow, unwilling to be without it even for a second and stumbled off towards the RV with Radley at her heels. It was silent for a few seconds after she'd left until Dale sighed.

"Have any of you given a thought to Daryl Dixon?" The group exchanged glances. Rick had told them the story of how Merle had been left behind while Paige was being bandaged up.

"It was my fault. I dropped the key. I'll tell him" T-Dog said, though he looked terrified of telling the younger Dixon the fate of his brother.

"I was the one that chained him to that roof. I should be the one" Rick said grimly. Lori clutched his arm tightly.

"You think Dixon's gonna be the biggest problem here?" Shane asked darkly.

'What d'you mean?" Dale asked. Shane jerked his head in the direction of the RV. "That girl" he said. "Are you sure it was a good idea to bring her back with you?"

"Why wouldn't we have?" Glenn asked, confused.

"Well, she's a bit odd looking isn't she? Could be trouble."

"She seems nice enough to me" Dale said. "Anyway, we've all got to look out for each other these days, haven't we?"

"And we did hit her with a truck" T-Dog said, chuckling. "We kinda owe her, don't ya think?"

Shane snorted derisively. Eventually the conversation started up again but he wasn't paying attention. No one noticed the dark look in his eyes as he stared into the flames.

* * *

**_So… short chapter. Basically a filler. Sorry updates are slower now. I have no excuse except that I'm lazy! *Spoiler (but not really cos' it's kind of obvious.)* Big reunion between Paige and Daryl next chapter. Kinda bittersweet for Boo-he lost his brother but found Paige. And I'm going to try to build up the reaction of the group when they find out that Paige and Daryl know each other cos' I think they'd be the least likely people to be friends!_**

**_Anyway, I'm going to keep Shane dark and mean, I think. I have this thing where I make the bad guys good (Anyone who reads We Can Survive Together will understand this) so I'm definitely going to try to keep him a badass._**

**_Something that pisses me off A LOT! When girl oc's that are tough somehow find themselves only ever doing the washing up or cooking or cleaning and being helpless. That's why I like Maggie because she's not like that and Andrea, though she CAN be kinda annoying in my opinion. Don't worry, Paige will be just as kickass as ever and she isn't taking shit from anyone. Hint hint. Anyway, love,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**


	22. Chapter 22

**Fave line: Dunno, yours?**

**Paige POV**

**?**

That night I slept better than I had in weeks. I felt safer knowing someone would always be on watch throughout the night. My own offer to keep guard had been shot down. I'd have argued had the pain in my head not convinced me to rest. For now.

At first I felt uncomfortable sharing with people I didn't know but I realized quickly that Amy was really sweet, giving me a shy smile and though Andrea was the exact opposite at first, defensive and protective of her sister, after a while, I felt I could relate to the strong-willed woman. Eventually I felt comfortable enough to ask a question that had been bothering me for a while.

"Andrea, that guy you were talking about-the one that got left behind, what happened to him?"

I saw the blonde woman stiffen from the bed above me and instantly regretted bringing it up. I didn't think I was going to get an answer but eventually Andrea sighed and looked down at me.

"He's just some sexist, white trash asshole. He started shooting walkers in the city, drawing them in. He started some racist shit with T-Dog so T tried to hit him. He went crazy, he would've killed us all, so Rick handcuffed him to the roof. As we were leaving…well it was so fast, the walkers were getting in and we had to get out of there." She stopped. I felt I already knew what had happened but I didn't say anything. Andrea exhaled slowly.

"T-Dog dropped the key. It was an accident. He chained the door closed so the walkers couldn't get in but…" she trailed off. Neither of us said anything and eventually I slipped off into an uneasy sleep.

It was still dark when I woke up. It was quiet except for Amy and Andrea's soft breathing.

I tried to fall asleep again but after a half hour of tossing and turning I deemed it useless. I got up and dressed quietly, grabbing my bow before leaving the RV. I looked around carefully. The fire was just embers now and no one was up yet.

"Paige?" a voice asked. I almost jumped out of my skin as I turned back to the RV.

"Dale" I sighed in relief, looking up at the man on the roof of the old RV squinting down at me. I smiled as I climbed up beside him and flopped down into the chair next to him.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked.

"Couldn't sleep." He nodded.

"Are you any good with that bow?" he asked. I grinned.

"I've been using it since I was sixteen. Ask me to cook or clean, no way. But I can hunt pretty well."

He nodded. "That'll be useful. We have a hunter here already but…" he trailed off.

"But?" I prompted and Dale sighed. "He's kind of prone to violence and after what happened to his brother in the city…"

I felt my stomach jolt and my mouth go dry. The man who had been left behind, chained up like a dog in a city full of the dead, had a brother.

"Where is he?" I choked out eventually.

"Hunting. He should be back today and he's not going to be happy."

I felt anger flare up inside me. I didn't like Dale's tone, or Andrea's for that matter when they spoke of the brothers. As if it was annoying that a man would be angry at, what was basically, a death sentence for his own flesh and blood. Vaguely, I registered that Dale was talking again but I couldn't hear him. It was if I were underwater, I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. When I couldn't stand sitting there anymore I slid down the ladder and walked away, wondering why I was so concerned about someone I'd never met.

The atmosphere around the camp that morning was tense and at midday Carol dragged me down to the lake to clean up. The woman was sweet and kind, but timid, especially around her husband and incredibly protective of her young daughter Sophia, who I recognized as the girl who'd been staring at Radley the night before.

"You can pat him if you like. Radley's very friendly" I told her. The girl offered her hand timidly for sniffing and after a while a group of small children were gathered around the dog cooing, including Ricks son.

"I'm Carl" he informed me, holding out a hand. I laughed and offered up my own.

"Paige" I told him with a smile. A woman rushed over suddenly, looking anxious.

"Carl, I told you not to wander off" she scolded.

"Sorry mom" Carl said, hanging his head.

"Hi, I'm Lori" she smiled, noticing me. We shook hands and I fell into conversation with Carol and Lori. After a while Andrea and Amy joined us. I couldn't help but notice Lori's gaze flickering to Shane more than once but pushed it to the back of my mind. It wasn't any of my business.

The conversation was light and easy until eventually Lori asked my story. We all had one, some more bloody than others. I sighed, looking out over the water.

"I was traveling with my best friend and his brother. They'd just pulled me out of my parents house after they got infected. We were going into Atlanta just like everyone else but we got separated when things went pear-shaped. I haven't seen them since but they're tough sons of bitches. I think it's why we get along together so well." I knew the sadness was clear in my tone and I hated it. Carol clutched my hand and I smiled sadly.

A scream reverberated across the camp suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Carl" Lori screamed, scrambling to her feet at the same time as Carol gasped her daughters name and followed suit. They all ran up to the main camp. I followed slower, allowing myself time to grab my bow. When I got back to the main camp, I looked around confusedly when I saw it empty.

I crept forward slowly, my eyes searching for an enemy. They zoned in on a dead walker, it's head and body a few feet apart with the chewed up remains of a deer carcass nearby. I was just thinking what a pity it was to see good meat go to waste when I heard voices and crept forward again, Radley directly behind me.

Everyone was standing near the RV and no one noticed me approach. My view was blocked by Rick but I could tell by the rumble of voices that there was someone else there and by the tense way Rick held his shoulders I could guess they weren't happy to see this particular guest.

I was just about to step forward when Rick spoke and I froze.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

Though his words sent a cold shiver down my spine that wasn't what made me freeze. The man spoke and my breath caught at the familiar voice, layered with anger.

"Hold on. Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?

My head spun, I felt weak-kneed. The blood was pounding in my head as it all fell into place. It had been Merle who'd been left for dead in Atlanta. By the people I'd just been starting to like. My thoughts were cut off as I saw Daryl lunge for Rick. Rick shoved him back and Shane grabbed him into a choke hold.

I saw red. Anger bubbled from the pit of my stomach up through my throat like bile. They had practically sentenced Merle to death and now they were trying to take my best friend away? No way. I would not, could not, lose him again. My hands tightened on the bow and I took a step forward changing my target.

"What are you doing?" Lori screamed as I shoved the tip of an arrow, already in place, into the back of her husbands head. I felt Rick stiffen but I had no time for him. My eyes were on Shane and his on me.

"Let him go" I said, my voice low and cold. Daryl, who had been struggling, stilled at once, before his head shot up. He stared at me wide-eyed, his mouth going slack and relief coursed through my veins as I looked into the familiar deep blue eyes, eyes that could see into my very soul. The air was silent, electric but I didn't notice or care. The only thing I knew was that my best friend in the whole world, the one who knew me better than anyone was alive and barely five feet away. I looked into those eyes and the part of me that had been slowing crumbling without him, even without my notice, came to life again.

"Hey Boo" I whispered. "Miss me?"

**_Short chapter, the hugs and stuff will come later 'cos I doubt they'd be that public. What did you all think of Paige's POV. One of the first I've used so opinions pretty please? Would you prefer third person POV like I've been doing so far or variations of Daryl and Paige POV. Sorry, it's been way too long. No excuse except in the summer I can never sit to anything. I'm more likely to do chapters on schoolnights when I know I only have a certain amount of time to work. Endless time= Endless opportunities to put it off. But WHAT ABOUT THAT NEW TRAILER FOR SEASON 4? When Daryl saved the little kid? Sweetest thing I've ever seen! Cannot WAIT until October! Till next time, whenever that may be,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**

**_PS I would be delighted if I could get up to 75 reviews for this chapter. (Hint, hint.) I'm on 67 now, there are 49 followers to this story so I don't think it's too much. Please?_**


	23. Chapter 23

**_Fave line from last chapter, by popular demand was "Hey Boo. Miss me?"_**

**_Fave line from this chapter (and there were a few): He smelled of the forest, the warm, homey scent of her childhood._**

* * *

Daryl Dixon was a quiet man. With Merle as a brother and Paige as a best friend it was difficult to get a word in edgeways. However, it wasn't often he was left speechless. It normally took something pretty jaw-dropping to do that. But this was one of those times.

"You know each other" he heard the blonde, Andrea, exclaim. Paige just nodded, still glaring at Shane.

"Yeah. Now let him go. Your best friend for mine."

"Do what she says, Shane" Rick said, hands up. Shane complied reluctantly and Paige instantly dropped her weapon from Ricks head. Lori ran towards him and glared at Paige but she wasn't paying attention.

"So, the man you left behind was Merle?" she asked, looking around at the group. She didn't fail to notice that they all refused to meet her eyes.

"Merle Dixon was being an-"

"Asshole?" Paige interrupted. "Getting on your nerves was he? Oh well that explains it, then! You chained him up like an animal but it's okay because he was being rude to you!"

"Paige-" Glenn started but she interrupted him.

"No! Merle might have a few problems, but hey, who doesn't? At least he's honest. He never pretended to be something he wasn't." She stopped talking, glaring at all of them and looked to Daryl, who was still staring at her. Eventually he found his voice.

"Just tell me where he is so I can go get him" he yelled towards Rick. Lori took a deep breath and glanced at her husband.

"He'll show you" she said reluctantly.

"I'm going back" Rick informed the group.

Daryl stared at him for a minute but then nodded.

"Be ready in ten minutes" he barked then, grabbing Paige's hand, he pulled her out of earshot behind some trees. As soon as they were alone he pulled her into a tight hug that lifted her off her feet.

"Can't breathe" she gasped. He put her down gently and looked at her, eyes burning.

"Paige. Merle and me, we looked for you. But we thought…" his voice trailed off and she smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I know. Whereas I _knew _you'd be okay. Feed a Dixon a hammer, he'll crap out nails, right?" He grinned at her and pulled her into another bone crushing hug. She saw Shane staring at her with a twisted smile on his face and narrowed her eyes.

"I can't believe these people. They seemed so nice… But what they did, it's sick."

"Hey" Daryl grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. The guilt was eating at her. She'd trusted these people and then… She shuddered. "It'll be fine. Merle'll be fine. We'll go get him and get out of here. It'll be just us three again, Pay." She smiled at the nickname and realized how close they were. She was pressed up against his chest so close that she could feel as well as hear each of his breaths. He smelled of the forest, the warm, homey scent of her childhood that she'd come to associate with him. He leaned down and she closed her eyes. He was inches from her when a cough interrupted them. She looked up and saw Shane still staring at her with a glint in his eyes. Apparently Daryl saw it too because he clenched his fists. He strode up to the truck and jumped in, pressing the horn impatiently.

"Let's go!" he yelled. Paige sighed and followed suit.

* * *

"He'd better be okay" Daryl bit out. It was the first words he'd spoken throughout the entire trip.

"It's my only word on the matter. I told you the geeks can't get at him. The only thing that's gonna get through that door is us." Daryl snorted and it was silent again.

The drive into Atlanta had been awkward to say the least. The tension could be cut with a knife and all signs of the happy carefree Paige they'd seen that morning was gone. She spent the whole trip glaring at the ground and not looking at any of them. Eventually they slowed and stopped just outside the town limits.

"We walk from here" Glenn said nervously.

"Merle first or guns?" Rick asked as they got out of the vehicle.

"Merle" Paige and Daryl say in unison. "We ain't even having this discussion" Daryl added.

"We are" he replied calmly before turning to Glenn. "You know the geography. It's your call." Glenn glanced at Paige and Daryl who were standing together, apart from the group, Radley standing loyally by their side. The dog seemed to have mirrored Paige's emotions exactly and looked alert and ready to spring.

"Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first."

They started checking weapons before they made their way into the city. The last thing they needed was to be caught without something to defend themselves with.

Daryl had his crossbow and hunting knife as well as a handgun, though it was an unspoken agreement that no-one shot bullets in the city unless they absolutely had to. Paige had her own bow, a quiver of arrows strung across her back and a rapier held tightly in one hand. She also had a knife hidden in her boot and her own handgun. After checking that they had everything the group headed off, back into the city.

* * *

Travelling through the small backstreets, the group managed to get back to the department store without issue. The group of walkers seemed to have wandered off without the lure of food and Daryl took down the remainders with his crossbow. Finally there was only one female walker left.

"You are one ugly skank" Daryl remarked as he raised his crossbow, shooting the arrow through her eye.

"Upstairs" Glenn informed them and without another word Daryl made his way to the fire escape stairs. T-Dog and Rick followed so Paige covered their backs, knowing that if she did miss anything, Radley's sensitive ears would pick it up. Therefore she was a flight below them when she heard them burst onto the roof.

"Merle! Merle!" she heard Daryl call. She waited, expecting to hear Merles voice reply, most likely with some very nice swear words attached. But she didn't.

Daryl Dixon was a quiet man. Usually. And as his best friend, Paige knew this better than anyone.

So when she heard him scream, not in anger but in pain, she bolted up the rest of the stairs without a second thought. She burst out onto the roof, the sunlight burning her eyes after the darkness of the staircase.

"Daryl? Daryl, what is it? What's wrong?"

She spun around desperately, expecting to see a horde chomping down on her friend but she found no one on the roof but Rick, T-Dog, Glenn and Daryl.

No Merle.

She saw Daryl slumped against a pipe and made towards him. And then she stopped as something caught her eye.

A pair of handcuffs, chained to a pipe. A hacksaw, soaked in blood.

She felt her stomach turn and her legs give out. She fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"No!" she gasped. "No, no, no." She clenched her eyes shut and crawled towards Daryl. She found him eventually and collapsed against him, burying her head in his chest so she wouldn't have to see the sight that she already knew was permanently burned into her skull. She felt Daryl's hand in her hair and looked up at him. He wasn't looking at her. His eyes were completely focused on the bloody hand laying on the dusty roof, the only remains of his older brother.

* * *

**_Kay, I was gonna make this chapter longer but this just seemed like a good place to stop, end of episode, end of chapter. This was quite a quick update, for one reason only._**

**_YOUR REVIEWS! I asked for 8 and ended up with 19! Thank you all SOOOO much! I read them all (several times) and they made my day!_**

**_I know, another kiss tease! But it wasn't really cos' for all you know he might've been trying to kiss her nose. Only I know! (Insert evil laugh of your choice here.) But I just wanted to get you all into the Shane-hating spirit for this story because, as you might've guessed, him and Paige are gonna clash big time! I guess she's just too awesome for him to handle. If you have fallen behind on reading, make sure to read the last chapter first as, like I said, I updated quite soon for me._**

**_Some of you asked about POV. It'll probably vary. I might do some Daryl POV but I'm not sure, I might mess it up. At least with Paige I know I can't mess it up because she's my OWN character if that makes sense? _**

**_Quick question: Does anyone know where I can find a full dialogue for TWD. I try to get it exact but it is hard._**

**_Anyway, sorry for such a long AU and as you now see what happens when you review, go ahead and press that little button. We're close to 100 guys! Love ya,_**

**_JAGWALFF_**

**_PS: LiveEatBreatheWrite- I _****_LOVE_****_ Paryl! _**


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